Admissions » Admissions Criteria

Admissions Criteria

2023 Waitlist Information
 
From NYC Public Schools:
High school offers are available and waitlists are open. The last day for high schools to make a waitlist offer will be Friday, September 15. The last day for a family to respond to a waitlist offer made that day will be Friday, September 22. 
 
To learn more about HS waitlists, please visit the NYC Public Schools Waitlists webpage.
2023 Open House for ACCEPTED students
 
The 2023 THHS Open House will be on:
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
5-7:30pm
 
This is an in-person Open House.
 
 
 

UPDATE from the DOE, 12/1/22:

There is more time to apply to high school!

If you’ve already submitted your application, you’re all set! There’s nothing else you need to do. If you want to make any changes to your application choices, you can still do so by December 5. Please make sure to resubmit your application after you make any edits!

 

From the DOE:

 

HS Admissions Timeline

October 12: 2023 HS Application is Open

December 1:HS Application Deadline

December 9: Deadline to Upload Additional Materials

Early March: High School Offers

 

Selection Criteria for Screened Admissions:
This school has a Diversity in Admissions Initiative.
  • Applicants eligible for free or reduced price lunch will be considered first for 50% of seats.
  • For the remaining 50% of seats, all students will be considered.
 
Admissions Method (for rising 9th graders):
Screened With Assessment
Students are admitted based on a school-based assessment, and in some cases also their course grades.
Selection Criteria
As a screened with assessment program the school also considers factors:
  • Average Course Grades - 40%
  • Humanities Writing - 20%
  • STEM Writing - 20%
  • Video - 20%
 

How do I apply?

By using the MySchools website.


Where can I learn if specific screened programs require additional assessments, and how to complete them?

Assessments for Screened Schools NYCDOE Link:

https://www.schools.nyc.gov/enrollment/enroll-grade-by-grade/high-school/assessments-for-screened-schools.

 

 
Admissions Method (for rising 10th graders):
Selection Criteria for Screened Admissions
Screened programs will admit the top-performing applicants from across each middle school and citywide. Students will be admitted to screened programs in group order, starting with students in group one.
 
Students fall into a screened admissions groups based on the average of their final eighth-grade core course grades (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies). This average must fall into the top percentage of students citywide or at a student’s school in order to fall within a certain admissions group.
 
To learn what average grades are needed to fall into a group at your child’s DOE school*, please contact your current school. These are the average grades needed to fall into the different groups citywide:
 
To fall into the top __% of applicants citywide… An applicant needs average core course grades of at least:

Top 15% (Group 1)

94.33

Top 30% (Group 2)

90.25

Top 50% (Group 3)

83.5

Top 70% (Group 4)

76.75

 

If there are more applicants in group one than available seats, students from group one will be randomly selected for seats using the random number linked to each applicant’s application. If all students in group one can be accommodated at a school, students in group two will be considered next; if there are more applicants in group two than remaining available seats, then students in group two will be randomly selected for available seats. This will continue with subsequent groups until all seats are filled.

 
For more information about the selection criteria for Screened Admissions (rising 10th graders), please go to the DOE's Screened Admissions webpage

Please note that Townsend Harris High School  does not select students for enrollment nor assign students their spot on the waitlist. We cannot adjust the wait list order.

 

If you have questions or concerns about admissions or your child’s waitlist placement, you may contact the High School Admissions Team at the Office of Student Enrollment. You may reach them by phone Monday-Friday from 8am-6pm at 718-935-2009. You may reach them via email at [email protected]. Or you may visit a Family Welcome Center Monday-Thursday from 8am-5pm and Friday 8am-3pm.

 

Please complete all three parts of this assessment: Humanities Writing, STEM Writing, and Video. Students submit these assessments through MySchools.

 

Part 1: Humanities Writing

Please select ONE question to respond to from the following choices. Your response should be between 250-500 words (approximately 1200-2500 characters).

 

"The Danger of a Single Story," by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

  1. Does anything in this story remind you of an experience or interaction you've had in your life? How does your experience compare with the experience in the story?

OR

  1. How does the author use storytelling to push back against the danger of a single story? Please use an example from the text to support your point?
 

Part 2: STEM Writing

Please select ONE question to respond to from the following choices. Your response should be between 250-500 words (approximately 1200-2500 characters).

 

  1. You are stranded on an island and you may take one modern invention with you (No cell phones!) Explain why you chose the item and describe some of the issues you may encounter trying to keep the item functional while stranded.

OR

  1. Suppose you wake up one morning and suddenly know everything there is to know about math and science. If you could use that knowledge to solve a problem in your community, what problem would you solve? Describe the problem. How would you use math and science to solve the problem?

 

Part 3: Video

Please submit a 2 minute (maximum time) video that includes ALL of the following:

  1. An introduction to you
  2. An answer to the questions below:

We believe that every student has a special and unique artistic, intellectual and personal talent, interest, ability and/or gift that can enrich our school community. Our Ephebic Oath states that we promise to “leave our city greater than we found it.” Identify two talents, interests, abilities or gifts you possess that would enrich our school community and how you would “leave it greater than you found it.”

FROM THE DOE regarding HS offers:
  • After school hours on Wednesday, June 8, you'll be able to log in to MySchools and view your offer letter. (Families without MySchools accounts will be able to get their offer from a current school counselor or a Family Welcome Center.) 
  • Waitlists will open after offers are available.  
  • NEW! In response to feedback from families and communities across the city, we'll be keeping middle and high school waitlists open longer this year, through September 16
The high school application window is currently closed. The deadline to apply was March 11, 2022.

High school offer letters will be available at the beginning of June. After offers are available, waitlists will open.

Have specific questions? Talk to your school counselor, call the DOE's Office of Enrollment at 718-935-2009, or contact a Family Welcome Center.
 
 

The high school application window opened on January 27, 2022, and the deadline to apply has been extended to March 11, 2022. The best way to apply is online with MySchools.

 

If you need help with the application process, you can...

The high school application window opened on January 27, 2022, and the deadline to apply has been extended to March 11, 2022. The best way to apply is online with MySchools.

 

If you need help with the application process, you can...

 

 

NYC 2022 CRITERIA FOR SCREENED HIGH SCHOOLS

The following information was taken from the DOE’s Screened Admissions Page.

 

What student data will be used in screened admissions this year?

Students' highest grades in four courses—English, math, social studies, and science––will be used. To determine which grades to use, we will choose the highest grade in each of these courses, from the following:

  • Final course grades from seventh grade
  • Marking period or end-of-term grades from eighth grade, available by the high school application deadline
 

This means that a combination of student grades from two different school years may be used.

  • For example, if an applicant received a 95 for their final seventh grade English grade, an 89 for their first marking period eighth-grade English grade, and an 81 for their second marking period eighth-grade English grade, then a 95 would be used for admissions.

 

Note: State test scores and attendance will not be used in admissions this year.

 

 

 

How are course grades converted and averaged?

Because a variety of grading scales are used across schools, each course grade being used for admissions will be converted to 100-400 points using the table below.

 

How Grading Scales Convert to Points

 POINTS

 0-100 Scale

1-4 Scale 

IB Scale 

U-E Scale 

MB-ME 

A-F Scale 

400

85-100

 3(+/-), 4(+/-)

 IB6, IB7

 G, G+, E-, E, E+

 MA, ME

 B, B+, A, A+

300

75-84

 2, 2+

 IB4, IB5

 G-, S+, S

 MT

 C, C+, B-

200

65-74

 2-, 1+

IB2, IB3 

 S-, N+, N

 MP

 D, D+, C-

100

10-64

 1, 1-

 IB1

 U, N-

 MB

 D-, F

 

 

After each of an applicant’s course grades being used for admissions are converted to 100-400 points, these will be averaged to assign each applicant a point average.

 

Example

 Subject

Student's Grade 

Points 

 English

94

400

 Math

82

300

 Science

72

200

 Social Studies

89

400

POINT AVERAGE 

=

325

 

 

How will students' point averages be used in admissions?

  1. All applicants are divided into four groups according to their point average. 
    • Students whose point average is between 350-400 will fall into Group 1
    • Students whose point average is between 250-349 will fall into Group 2
    • Students whose point average is between 150-249 will fall into Group 3
    • Students whose point average is 149 or below will fall into Group 4

 

Example: If a student’s point average is 325, this means this student is in Group 2.

  1. For screened high school programs, applicants from Group 1 will be considered first for admissions:
    • If there are more applicants from Group 1 than available seats, students from Group 1 will be randomly selected until all seats are filled.
    • If there are enough seats for all applicants from Group 1, then students from Group 2 will be considered for remaining seats.
    • If there are more applicants from Group 2 than remaining seats, students from Group 2 will be randomly selected for remaining seats until all seats are filled. 

 

This will continue across groups until all seats are filled, or until all applicants have been placed.

 

 

 

DIVERSITY IN ADMISSIONS

We participate in the Diversity in Admissions Initiative.

  • Applicants eligible for free or reduced price lunch will be considered first for 50% of seats.
  • For the remaining 50% of seats, all students will be considered.

 

 

For the following admissions questions, please visit the DOE’s Screened Admissions Page.

  • How can I see which of my child's grades are being used in admissions?
  • When and how is random selection used in screened admissions?
  • What if a student is missing a course grade?

Our Selection Criteria 2021

Admission to THHS Video

URL: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nUCqMvj5QV-nXYVWKi2zd5gNET2Yxy3s/view?usp=sharing

Townsend Harris students are life-long achievers. Their dedication to personal development and academic discipline begins long before they reach our school and continues long after.

Students from all five boroughs of New York City are eligible to apply to Townsend Harris and are selected through a competitive screening process rather than by a single entrance exam. Admission for entering ninth-grade students is based on 6th-grade standardized-test scores, final report card grades, and 7th grade marking period grades. Admission for entering tenth-grade students is based on 7th-grade standardized-test scores, final report card grades, and 8th grade marking period grades.

9th Grade Admission Percentage   10th Grade Admission Percentage
6th Grade ELA/Math State Test Scores 40%   7th Grade ELA/Math State Test Scores 40%
6th Grade Final Grades 50%   7th Grade Final Grades 50%
7th Grade Marking Period Grades 10%   8th Grade Marking Period Grades 10%

 

All applicants will be ranked according to their composite rubric score, as follows:

 

Rank of 1 = 91 - 100%

Rank of 2 = 86 - 90%

Rank of 3 = 81 - 85%

Rank of 4 = 76 - 80%

Rank of 5 =  71 - 75%

Rank of 6 = 66 - 70%

Rank of 7 = Below 66%

 

Among all applicants with the same rank, starting with the rank of 1, low-income applicants (students who qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch) are considered equally and randomly for the first 50% of offers. 

 

Then, the remaining applicants with the same rank (both low-income and non-low-income) are considered equally and randomly for the remaining 50% of offers. This is done separately for general education students and students with IEPs.

 

How to Apply

Students apply to Townsend Harris through their home school, whether it is public or private. For more information on the admission process, see your current counselor and/or use this link: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/enrollment/enroll-grade-by-grade/high-school/high-school-admissions-video-series

https://www.schools.nyc.gov/enrollment/enroll-grade-by-grade/high-school

 

NYCDOE Tip: For a more detailed look at how offers are made to screened and audition programs, watch the video "How Students Get Offers to Screened Schools and the Specialized High Schools" on our website.

 

Check out our Virtual Open House Page!