Schooling and childcare in New York

Public schools and the zoning question

The Department of Education runs the largest school system in the country, and most elementary schools have a zone: living at a qualifying address gives you a right to a place. Beyond that, admission runs through MySchools, the city's enrolment portal, where families rank choices in an application round rather than simply registering. Enrolment is not conditional on immigration status, and every child resident in the city has a right to a public school place.

• MySchools is the portal for kindergarten, middle school and high school rounds.
• Kindergarten applications open in the winter for the following September.
• High school admission is a citywide ranked-choice round, with screened programmes using academic criteria.
• 3-K and Pre-K for All offer free early-years places, also allocated by application round.

Charter schools

Charter schools are publicly funded, independently run and free to attend, and they admit by lottery rather than by address. Applications go through each school or a common application on a separate timetable from the DOE round, and popular schools have long waiting lists. They are worth applying to in parallel; there is no cost to holding a lottery place open.

The independent sector

New York's private day schools admit for the following September on a timetable that starts the previous autumn, typically with enquiries in September, applications closing around November or December, assessments and interviews over the winter, and offers in February. Fees are among the highest in the world and there are additional costs on top. Places for arrivals mid-year depend entirely on attrition.

• Enquire a full year ahead; the December deadlines are real deadlines.
• Expect an admissions assessment, a family interview and school reports.
• Budget for fees plus registration, technology, trips and an expected annual donation.