In New York City, children are eligible to apply to Pre-K in the year they turn four, and Kindergarten in the year they turn five. New York City families can apply to Kindergarten online, over the phone, or in person at a Family Welcome Center.  All Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten applications are processed according to the DOE admissions priorities. Admission is NOT granted on a first-come first-served basis.

We highly recommend participating in a tour at our school prior to submitting an application. Tours can be scheduled HERE.

Please visit the Department of Education website (or call 718-935-2400) to review the application timeline and due dates, keeping in mind that they may change from year to year:

Kindergarten Admissions (Dept of Ed website) 

Pre-K Admissions (Dept of Ed website)

The Neighborhood School is located in Manhattan District 1, which is a Choice District. District 1 does not have zoned elementary schools.  On your Pre-K or Kindergarten application, you will be asked to rank schools and programs in order of your preference.

Siblings of children who already attend The Neighborhood School are given first priority for admission. Children who reside in District 1 are given priority for admission.

The Neighborhood School and District 1 participate in Diversity Admissions.  Pre-K and Kindergarten admissions decisions are not influenced by race or gender. Students who qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch (FRL), students in temporary housing, and/or students who are English Language Learners (ELLs) will have priority for 67 percent of Pre-K and Kindergarten seats. For more information on the new district-wide Diversity Admissions policy, please visit the District 1 Website.

If you are applying for Pre-K or Kindergarten you will receive notification of your child’s acceptance via the Department of Education. We fill vacancies in 1st to 5th grade during the spring and continue as openings become available through June.

For Pre-K and K, you will automatically be placed on the waitlist for the schools you ranked higher than the school where your child received an offer. We fill vacancies via our waitlist as openings become available through September.

We do not keep and use applications from the previous year. Each year new applications are collected for the following school year.

Proof of Address:

If you are accepted, you must bring two forms of identification that verify your address during registration. We cannot accept utility bills, leases or driving licenses. We can, however, accept the following:  bank statements, recent passport, letter from a doctor, a letter from social security, public assistance documents, etc.

If there is any question about your residence, District 1 will schedule a home visit by an attendance teacher for verification.