NY Appleseed and Fordham Feerick Center for Social Justice Release a New Report
- Rochelle Du
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
4.14.26 at 112:00 PM- Today, Fordham Law School’s Feerick Center for Social Justice and New York Appleseed released Equitably Resourcing the NYC High School Application Process, which makes recommendations on developing tools and resources that empower students and families — particularly those who are historically marginalized, vulnerable, or under-resourced — and continuing the recent progress NYCPS has made in removing the undue burdens associated with applying to high school.
Currently, students and families face extraordinary complexities and burdens when navigating New York City’s public high school admissions. The report provides NYCPS with a breakdown of the many systemic issues that contribute to current inequities, including:
Unnecessary complexity and an overwhelming number of choices
There are currently 700+ programs across 400+ schools
The presence of the “Scarcity Mindset”
NYC's high school admissions process systematically favors families with resources, connections, and time — deepening segregation and inequity.
Unequal distribution and access to information, and supportive school staff, who can provide free guidance in navigating high school choice
There is a 370-to-one ratio of guidance counselors to students in NYC schools overall
While acknowledging that the NYCPS Office of Student Enrollment (OSE) has made notable progress in making the process more transparent and leveraging technology to improve access to information and to streamline admissions, the report calls on OSE to make further improvements.
The report recommends that NYCPS close the socioeconomic gap through
More multilingual and in-person admissions fairs
Better-maintained information tools, and stronger school- and community-based support so that no family is left navigating the process alone
Meaningfully expanded counseling and staff capacity at the middle school level to ensure every student has someone in their corner during the admissions process
Reduced unnecessary complexity in school offerings and rigorously evaluate whether its existing tools and resources are actually reaching the families who need them most
Nyah Berg, Executive Director of New York Appleseed, states, “This report speaks to an often overlooked yet critical component of creating a more equitable, transparent, and integrated high school system: access to information and resources when navigating the admissions process. In a city with hundreds of high school programs, NYCPS’ past and present policy decisions have fueled a false notion that only a handful of 'good' schools can meet a student's academic needs. That narrative must change. Dismantling this scarcity mindset requires tools for greater accessibility so that every student and family–regardless of race, income, ability, housing status, or home language–feels equipped and supported in exploring their options.”
