District 3 Magnet School Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the question to go to the answer.
1. What is a Magnet School?
2. What is District 3?
3. Who is eligible to apply for a Magnet School?
 

1. What is a Magnet School?

A Magnet School is a public school that offers a specialized curriculum, highly trained teachers, and innovative instruction. Magnet Schools receive federal funding to go above and beyond the standards of typical public schools.

2.  What is District 3?

District 3 extends from 59th Street to 123rd Street on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

3.  Who is eligible to apply for a Magnet School?

Magnet Schools are only open to students residing in District 3 or currently attending a District 3 school.

4. What is the timeline and process for applying to a Magnet School?

Applications for the 2013-2014 School Year are located on the Apply Now page

Applications and supporting documentation must be submitted on or before March 1, 2013

After completing the application at the end of this directory, submit it to:

Lainie Leber, Director of District 3 Magnet Schools Community School District 3 Office
154 West 93rd Street, Room 122
New York, NY 10025

5. Is there a Magnet Lottery?

After Magnet applications have been submitted and the number of available magnet seats for each school has been determined, there will be a  computer generated random lottery performed.

6. Do all students need to fill out Magnet applications?

If a child is zoned for a particular school, he or she does not need to fill out an application for that school.

7. Who receives priority to attend Magnet Schools?

Priority always goes to zoned students. In addition, siblings of students already attending a Magnet School will also have priority.

8. How often do students need to apply?

Students only need to apply once. They do not reapply from year to year.

9. Where can families find applications?

Applications will be available at the individual Magnet Schools and on the D3 Magnet website.

10. Can families get translations of Magnet applications?

Applications will be made available in eight languages. They can be obtained on the D3 Magnet website.

11. Are families required to accept Magnet offers?

Families are NOT required to accept an offer if they receive one.

12. What is an OSIS number?

This question only applies to students who are entering from other NYC public schools. If students have never attended a NYC Public School they will not have an OSIS number.

13. Why must applicants rank at least 4 choices on their Magnet applications?

Families can rank all of the Magnet Schools on their applications or they can rank as few as 4, but they must have at least 4 choices listed. This helps open up parents' eyes to all available magnet options and it also helps to ensure that all families will get at least one of the choices they request.

14.  Why are there two applications at the end of the District 3 Magnet booklet?

There are two applications at the end of the District 3 Magnet booklet because different schools have different entry levels---there are different choices listed on upper and lower grade applications.

15. Is there transportation to magnet schools?

The NYC Department of Education determines if a child is eligible to receive a free metro card based on the students age and distance from the school.  Parents / legal guardians taking the child does not receive a metro card. You can call the school of your choice or 311 to fund out if the student is eligible for a metro card.

Applications for the 2013-2014 School Year are Due March 1st 2013.