Armory High School Fair Helps Families Navigate Complicated Application Process

The Armory welcomed representatives from nine competitive high schools to familiarize students and families with strong options.

Armory College Prep’s annual High School Fair took place on Wednesday, May 12th, immediately following the last session of this school year’s CityTrack & Little Feet programming. Many of those in attendance were involved in the after school exercise program or in Armory College Prep’s middle school program.

Alberto Aquino, The Armory Foundation’s Director of Youth Programming, said the engagement was an effort to help Washington Heights children and their families navigate New York City’s unique high school entry process.

All public middle school students are asked to apply to high school, regardless of whether they wish to enter the private or public school system for grades 9-12. (Eighth graders that don’t apply are invited to the closest program to their residence that has enough spots remaining.) Students are also asked to rank 12 preferred schools with their application; because of this, the information they have about different schools’ admission processes, strengths, and student bodies is critical. With more than 500 options for public schools, this is a complicated laborious task for students and families.

“The goal of our high school fair is to provide an up-close introduction to schools with robust academics to our students and their families,” Aquino said.

A combination of public, private, parochial, and boarding institutions participated in the fair, including: