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DOE enrollment official explains middle-school timeline and how offers, wait lists work
Summary
A DOE enrollment lead told District 28 families the middle-school application deadline is Dec. 12, offers are released April 15, and screened programs use fourth-grade grades (not state tests); he also explained priorities, open vs. screened methods, and wait-list mechanics.
Ahmad, who leads middle-school enrollment for New York City Public Schools, gave a step-by-step overview of the middle-school application and answer session during the District 28 CEC admissions fair.
He told families the application is submitted through MySchools (myschools.nyc), the deadline is Dec. 12 and offers are scheduled to be released on April 15. After offers are released the wait-list process begins automatically: a student will be placed on the wait list for any program ranked higher than the program that issued the offer.
Ahmad outlined four primary factors that determine offers: the choices families list on their application (in true preference order), seat availability and demand, admissions priorities (for example sibling or zone priority), and admissions methods. He summarized common admissions methods: open programs that use a random lottery number, screened programs that evaluate fourth-grade grades, language-criteria programs, audition-based programs and lotteries.
To correct a common misconception, Ahmad said state exam scores are not used in screened admissions: "screened programs only look at fourth grade grades. We do not look at state test scores." He also explained how wait lists are ordered and re-generated after the main round and emphasized that early submission does not increase chances of admission because applications can be edited until the Dec. 12 deadline.
Ahmad provided contact resources for families: MySchools (myschools.nyc) for applications, family welcome centers for help creating accounts, and DOE enrollment support at (718) 935-2009 and msenrollment@schools. He stayed for the Q&A and answered follow-up questions on priorities, audition submission windows and how a zone school can be placed on a family’s list while preserving priority.
