Guides
How to build and rank your NYC school list
Last reviewed Jun 16, 2026 · Official source, current cycle · Verify dates and rules with the official source before acting.
You have found schools you like. Now comes the part that actually decides where your child lands, turning that shortlist into one ranked application. The good news is that NYC's match is built so the smart move and the honest move are the same move: you list every program you would be happy to attend, in the order you genuinely prefer them, and the algorithm does the rest. This guide is the strategy on top of the mechanics, how to build a balanced list, how deep to go, and what shifts by grade band. The exact dates, methods, and program-by-program rules change every cycle, so confirm the specifics for your child on the official source before acting.
How it works in 60 seconds
- You submit one ranked list of programs, and one citywide match, deferred acceptance, returns a single best offer: your highest-ranked program that could still admit your child.
- Because that match is strategy-proof, you maximize your odds by ranking in true preference order, there is no clever ordering that beats honesty.
- Rank deeply. Every true-preference program you add is one more chance to be placed; at high school the DOE recommends at least 12 as a floor.
- Build a balanced list, reaches, targets, and realistic likely options, so you have a genuine anchor, not just ambition.
- Run charter, private, and Hunter in parallel, independent shots that don't touch your DOE match.
- You're automatically waitlisted at everything ranked above your offer, so a long-shot first choice costs you nothing.
The one rule that always holds: rank true preference
If you remember one thing, remember this. The main NYC Public Schools match is strategy-proof: there is no list order that does better than your genuine order of preference. NYC Public Schools says it plainly, listing your choices in your true order of preference is the best strategy, and the match always tries your first choice first, then your second as if it were your first, and so on down your list.
That means ranking a reach first can never cost you a school you would otherwise have gotten. The algorithm only ever moves you down your list to the next choice, and you stay on the waitlist for everything ranked above your offer. The two ways families actually hurt themselves are the mirror image of this: burying a favorite to "save" a spot lower down, or leaving a school you'd love off the list to avoid a long shot. Both can only cost you. (Our how-offers-work guide walks through exactly why.)
So the whole job of building a list is choosing which programs to include and ranking them by how much you actually want them. The ordering is the easy part, your true preference. The work is making sure the set is deep enough and balanced enough.
Reach, target, and likely
A strong list spans the odds, not just the schools you love most. A useful frame is three tiers, all ranked in true preference order within the single list:
- Reaches. Programs where your child's chances read low, screened admission, audition, or highly oversubscribed programs. Include the ones you'd genuinely be thrilled by, ranked where they belong by preference. There's no penalty for aiming high.
- Targets. Programs where the odds read medium, a realistic chance given your child's priorities, group, and the program's seats and history.
- Likely (your safeties). Programs where an offer is highly probable. These are the anchor of the list. A list of only reaches can leave you with no offer at all, so include real likely options you would actually be content to attend, and rank them honestly below the schools you prefer.
The likely tier is where parents most often go wrong, either skipping it (believing a reach will come through) or ranking it so high it crowds out preferred schools. Neither is necessary: because the match is strategy-proof, you can rank a safety last and still receive it only if everything above falls through. It does its job from the bottom of the list. The point is simply that it is on the list.
Use the per-program data to sort schools into tiers honestly. MySchools shows each program's applicant-to-offer ratio and a likelihood read for your child; our school profiles surface the same signals plus how a school did with each priority group last year. Use that to balance the list, not to drop a true favorite.
By grade band
The list-building job is the same everywhere, but the levers differ.
High school
High school is the deepest and most method-varied list. You rank programs, not just schools.
- Rank deeply, past 12. With no cap, twelve is the recommended minimum, not the target. More true-preference programs means more chances to be placed.
- Rank multiple programs at the same school. Admissions is often program-level, and where you list a program does not affect your chances at any other program. So if one building you love hosts several programs, listing more than one of them is a legitimate way to raise your odds of an offer there.
- Mix the methods. Pair screened and audition reaches with open and Educational Option programs reading medium or high, their odds don't hinge on a transcript, so they make natural likely anchors.
- Account for borough / geographic priority. High school is mostly citywide or boroughwide; where a program gives borough priority, living in or attending school in that borough counts equally, and a few programs set aside seats for a geographic zone. Read each program's stated priorities (see our zones-and-districts guide).
- Check the disability seats. Most high schools set aside a portion of seats for students with disabilities, considered on a parallel track whose ratio is often far more favorable than general-education seats, MySchools lists the two separately, so it's worth checking if your child has an IEP.
Middle school
Middle school is primarily district-based, so geography and continuity drive the list.
- Lean on district priority. Most programs prioritize students who live in or attend school in the district, and the two count the same, so a child attending school in a district where you don't live can carry priority in both.
- Protect a continuing seat. A child already at a K-8 or K-12 school keeps a guaranteed match to that school for 6th grade, but only if you list it on the application. It doesn't have to be first; listing it locks in the guarantee while you're still considered elsewhere. That's your built-in safety.
- Mix screened and open. Where a district screens, pair those reaches with open or district-priority programs you'd be happy with, so the list has a realistic anchor.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten is the most geographic of all, and it comes with a built-in backstop.
- Anchor on your zoned school. If you have a zoned school, your zoned school is your highest priority there and is included on your application automatically. It's a strong likely anchor, though the guarantee is a seat somewhere in your district, not always that exact building.
- Add out-of-zone reaches. You can rank other schools above your zoned school and still fall back to your zoned priority, strategy-proofness means a reach above it costs you nothing. Use last year's seats, applicants, and which priority groups got offers (shown in MySchools) to read your out-of-zone odds honestly.
- Layer in G&T if your child qualifies. Gifted & Talented is part of the same application alongside your zoned and other choices, an additional shot, not a trade-off (see our gifted-and-talented guide).
Run other sectors in parallel
Your DOE list is not the only shot. Several systems run on separate applications and calendars and don't touch your public-school match, so a family can hold offers from more than one at once and then choose:
- Charter schools run their own lottery through a separate application (not MySchools), see our charter-schools guide.
- Private and independent schools admit on their own timelines, often with earlier deadlines.
- Hunter College Elementary and High School run their own test-based process, entirely separate from the DOE, see our hunter-college-schools guide.
- The SHSAT specialized high schools and LaGuardia (audition) are separate processes that run alongside your main high-school application; taking the test or auditioning never weakens your main-match offer.
Each of these is an independent chance. Run the ones that genuinely fit your child in parallel, they only add options.
What most parents miss
Rank schools in your true order of preference — always.
You can rank multiple programs at the same school.
DOE, charter, and private are independent shots — run the ones that fit.
Accepting your offer never hurts your waitlist position.
Does this apply to your child?
Does this apply to your child?
Add your child's grade, address, and priorities to see exactly how this applies to you: your zoned school, your real odds, and tours you can save.
Official source
Official source
NYC Public Schools, How students get offersThe DOE's explanation of the match and why ranking in true preference order is the best strategy. The number of choices recommended, admissions methods, priorities, and key dates differ by grade and change each cycle, always confirm the specifics for your child's process on the official source before acting.
Common questions
How many programs should I put on my list? As many as you would genuinely be happy to attend. There is no cap on the NYC Public Schools application, and at high school the DOE recommends at least 12 programs as a floor, not a ceiling. Every additional true-preference program is one more chance the match can place you before it runs out of options, so rank deeply and include realistic likely options, not only reaches.
Will ranking a long-shot school first cost me a school I could have gotten? No, this is the single most important fact. The main match is strategy-proof, so ranking a reach first can never cost you a school lower on your list. The algorithm only ever moves you down to your next choice, and you stay waitlisted at everything ranked above your offer. Always rank in true preference order; never bury a favorite to game the order.
Should I apply to charter, private, or Hunter alongside my public-school list? Yes, if they fit. Charter schools (a separate lottery), private schools (their own timelines), and Hunter College Elementary and High School (its own test-based process) are all independent shots that do not touch your DOE match. Running the ones that fit in parallel only adds options, you can hold offers from several systems and choose among them.
Do I need a safety school on my list? Yes. A list of only screened or selective reaches can leave you without an offer. Anchor your list with realistic likely options, open or Educational Option programs at high school, in-district or zoned programs at middle school, and your zoned school at Kindergarten, ranked honestly below the schools you prefer.