Zoned High School Options For NYC Students Will Remain In Place

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last year that zoning for New York City public high schools would be eliminated in the fall of 2022, but with the school year half over, the mayor decided not to go through with the change.

The reversal comes after pushback from parents about long commutes and other concerns.

When asked about last year’s plan at a Nov. 15 press conference, the mayor said, “We’re still reviewing all issues related to admissions. We’re going to look at this very carefully, look at some of the input we received from communities and come up with more specifics soon.”

But on page 10 of the city's 68-page 2022 NYC Public Schools Admission Guide, it reads, “Beginning with admissions for students entering high school in September 2022, no high school applicant will have priority to attend a school based on where they live.” 

If the plan was to be implemented, it would have meant that a high school student would no longer be guaranteed a seat in a school close to home.

The geographic phase out was always a two-year proposal, according to the city's Department of Education (DOE). Last year – the first year of the proposal – 48 high schools removed their district priorities. In a press release from December 2020, the city said that “all other geographic priorities will be eliminated by next year.”

But as many parents continued to express concern about the possible change , the city DOE put out the following statement last month:

“We are reevaluating the policy to remove high school borough and zone priorities this admission cycle based on feedback we’ve received from school communities. As always, we are putting the needs of families front and center, and we will share details soon.”