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Public School Choice: Transfer Your Child to Another School

How does Public School choice work?

The Public School Choice program is designed to let students from low-performing schools transfer to higher-performing schools.

In the spring of each year, parents of eligible students should receive a letter explaining the application process and giving application deadlines. Parents of eligible students fill out a Transfer Application Form, selecting preferred transfer-destination school(s) from a pre-approved list. The deadline for requesting a transfer is usually in June. After all forms are submitted, the Department of Education will attempt to honor the family’s preferences as it processes the application and searches for an available transfer slot. School transfers are not guaranteed; they are only granted if space is available. Usually, demand exceeds availability at the most-requested schools; in deciding which applicants will receive transfer offers, the Department of Education gives priority to the lowest-achieving, low-income students.

If a student receives a transfer offer, the student is not required to accept; however, there will not be another opportunity to apply until the following year.

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Is my child eligible?

To apply for a Public School Choice transfer, a student must attend a qualifying school. Click here for a list of New York City public schools whose students qualify for Public School Choice.

  • Note: if your child qualifies for SES (see above), then your child also qualifies for Public School Choice.
  • Unlike SES, the Public School Choice program has no income-eligibility requirement. However, if space is limited, transfer requests by the neediest students are likeliest to be honored.

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Where can I go for more information?

The NYC Department of Education’s NCLB School Choice Program web site contains a variety of useful information, including:

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