SHSAT &10th Grade Transfer

Registration for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) and LaGuardia High School auditions is now open. Families will be notified by email later today. 

Like previous years, families can register for the SHSAT and LaGuardia auditions in the family-facing MySchools site (myschools.nyc), and school counselors can register their current students for the SHSAT and LaGuardia High School auditions in the school-facing MySchools site (school.myschools.nyc). Details are below and in the MySchools Guide for School Counselors.

Registration for the SHSAT and LaGuardia High School auditions opens today, December 21. The deadline to register is Friday, January 15, 2021.

The eight testing Specialized High Schools: Any 8th grade or first-time 9th grade student (who lives in NYC) can participate in admissions for any/all of these schools by registering for and then taking the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT).

·       Register by January 15 to take the SHSAT.

o   New! During SHSAT registration, families or school counselors will indicate the student’s Specialized High School preference order in MySchools. Families can list up to all eight testing Specialized High Schools in preference order, starting with their top choice as #1. The student will be considered for admission to these Specialized High Schools. Families will no longer submit choices on their SHSAT answer sheet. 

o   To support families who are not able to log into MySchools to register their own child for the SHSAT, school counselors can register any of their current students for the SHSAT in MySchools (school.myschools.nyc). When school counselors register any of their current students for the SHSAT, they will also be asked to indicate each student’s preference order of the testing Specialized High Schools. Instructions for doing this are in the MySchools Guide for School Counselors. 

o   For families that have registered themselves, school counselors are able to update a student’s registration and/or confirm that these students are registered by accessing their receipt in MySchools (school.myschools.nyc). Instructions for accessing students’ receipts are in the MySchools Guide for School Counselors.

·       Take the SHSAT starting in late January. 8th grade public school students will take the SHSAT at their current school on January 27, 2021. Other students will take the SHSAT at central DOE locations. These locations, along with all test dates, will be announced in the coming weeks.

The one audition Specialized High School, LaGuardia High School: Any 8th grade or first-time 9th grade student (who lives in NYC) can apply to any/all of the programs at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing Arts by registering to audition and then submitting audition materials online. Please note that the SHSAT is not used for admission to LaGuardia High School.

·       Register to audition by the week of February 22.

o   Families can log into MySchools (myschools.nyc) to register their child for LaGuardia High School auditions. When they do, they will indicate which programs their child will audition for. Students can audition for one or up to all six of the programs at LaGuardia High School.

o   To support families who are not able to log into MySchools to register their own child for LaGuardia High School auditions, school counselors can register any of their current students in MySchools (school.myschools.nyc). When school counselors register any of their current students for LaGuardia High School auditions, they will also be asked to indicate the program(s) the student will audition for. Instructions for doing this are in the MySchools Guide for School Counselors. 

o   For families that have registered themselves,  school counselors can update any student’s registration and/or confirm that these students are registered by accessing their receipt in the school-facing MySchools site (school.myschools.nyc).

·       Audition this winter. All high school auditions—including for LaGuardia High School—will take place virtually this year.

o   To audition, students will submit audition files through a new Virtual Audition Submission Tool, and school counselors can also submit files through this tool on behalf of their current students. This tool will open in early January; we will notify schools and families when you can access it, and we will share detailed instructions with school staff at that time.

o   Updated requirements for audition programs are available here; these will be posted in the MySchools directory in the coming weeks. These will help students prepare for their virtual auditions, even before the Virtual Audition Submission Tool is open.

Resources for schools and families:

·       Learn more about admissions to the Specialized High Schools at schools.nyc.gov/SHS.

·       Watch our video series: schools.nyc.gov/HSVideos.

·       Families can register for the SHSAT and LaGuardia High School auditions at myschools.nyc.

·       For access to MySchools, families need their child’s Welcome Letter. School staff should continue supporting families by providing them with their child’s Welcome Letter as needed. Students’ Welcome Letters can be found in the school-facing MySchools site (school.myschools.nyc). Instructions are in the MySchools Guide for School Counselors.

·       High school admissions resources for school staff are available here.

We appreciate your patience and flexibility. As always, please contact us at HSEnrollment@schools.nyc.gov with questions.