Navigating NYC public schools as a home buyer

[showtime]

NYC public schools get a bad reputation because some of them truly aren't good. However, that doesn't mean New Yorkers are stuck with having to pay for private school from pre-kindergarden to college. There actually are plenty of good NYC public schools and school districts, especially in neighborhoods that have gentrified a lot. We're no longer talking just about the Upper East Side, but about hot new neighborhoods like Meatpacking and the west side.

What I've learned is that there are a relatively large number of good elementary schools. As long as the property you buy is in the right school zone, then your kid can go to that elementary school. However, the number of good middle schools that are public is fewer. The good public middle schools will usually require an interview and testing to be able to get in. The number of good public high schools in NYC fewer still, and here competition is especially stiff. That's because some of the few really good public high schools in NYC will accept candidates from all five boroughs, so you have really bright kids competing for a limited number of slots across the city.

For NYC public high schools, everyone wants their kid to go to Bard, Beacon or Baruch High School if they can't get their kid into Stuyvesant or Nest. Bronx Science, Lehman and Brooklyn Tech are also great specialized high schools. Just FYI, I hear that Brooklyn Tech is 95% Asian.

[ryan_gz]

Yes you've definitely got to be careful when buying a home to check for school districts. I've heard cases of parents buying a place literally across the street from the elementary school they wanted their kid to go to, but only to be denied because the street was the divider between two different school zones.

Yes of course you can apply for a variance, but there's got to be an opening for that to fly if you don't live in the right neighborhood.

And don't get me started with autistic children. Apparently you can get them into private school for free, on the NYC taxpayer's back, if your child is autistic or has a learning disability. As long as the kid doesn't actively cause trouble or is violent. So I've heard from some go getter moms who were able to arb this.

[Guest]

Thanks for Sharing the informative post.