Minimum Grade Requirements:

Students must meet minimum averages to qualify for each group:

Group 1: 90 or higher
Group 2: 80 or higher
Group 3: 75 or higher
Group 4: 65 or higher

Even if a student ranks in the top percentage at their school, they cannot be placed in a group if their average is below these minimums.

How Seats Are Filled

If all Group 1 applicants can be accommodated, Group 2 applicants are considered next, and so on. When there are more applicants than seats in a group, offers are made randomly within that group.

Additional Details

Charter and Non-NYC Public School Applicants: Charter school students are eligible for a group based on the citywide averages. If a charter school provides grades for all students, charter school students could also be eligible based on their school average. Non-NYC Public School students qualify based on citywide averages only.
Viewing Your Group: When the high school application is open, families can see their child's group in MySchools(Open external link)under “Edit profile.”
Tenth-Grade Seats: Ninth-grade applicants for tenth-grade seats are grouped based on their final eighth-grade course grades.

How are offers made to screened programs that participate in Diversity in Admissions (DIA) and do not require an assessment?

At screened programs with DIA and no assessment, offers for DIA seats are made in group order:

Students in Group 1 who are DIA-eligible are considered first for DIA seats.
If seats remain, DIA-eligible students in Group 2 are considered next, and so on until all DIA seats are filled.

Where can I find out if a screened program requires an additional assessment?

A small portion of high schools may also require applicants to complete a school-based assessment, such as an essay. A list of these schools is available at our Assessments for Screened Schools webpage.

How does screening work for Students with Disabilities (SWD)?

Each screened high school program reserves a portion of seats for students with disabilities (SWD). These seats are filled in group order: SWD applicants in Group 1 are considered first, then Group 2, and so on.

Why aren’t screened admissions groups calculated separately for SWD students?

Admissions groups are based on academic performance, not on whether a student is in general education (GE) or has SWD status. Students in the top 15% of their school or city qualify for Group 1, regardless of GE or SWD status.

This means higher-performing SWD students are placed into reserved SWD seats first. Once all SWD applicants in a group have been accommodated, the next group is considered.

Using the same scale for all students ensures consistency and flexibility. If a student’s IEP status changes during the process, their admissions group remains the same.