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A version of this essay originally appeared on the .

Applications for kindergarten in New York City public schools for the 2020-21 school year were due Jan. 26 (the deadline having been extended from Jan. 21 due to assorted technical glitches).

NYC parents can , allowing for a nearly unprecedented amount of .

The problem, though, is that many parents they have choices, much less or

Almost all families have a zoned public school 鈥� but they are not required to send their children there. Schools are also not required to accept everyone who applies. Schools have priorities, including siblings and children who live in the zone, so does not guarantee a student a seat. (Tips for optimizing your ranking to increase the odds of acceptance are available .)

Parents often ask me, 鈥淪hould I bother ranking a school I have little chance of getting into?鈥�

I tell them, 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 rank it, you have no chance.鈥�

So go ahead, rank a school outside your zone.

Rank an 鈥� if you live in the district, you have as much of a chance of getting in as anyone else.

Rank a 鈥� if your child is a native speaker, he or she gets priority for admission!

Rank a magnet school 鈥� they often receive extra state funding for special programming.

Audition for 鈥� a public/private partnership where children get free music lessons along with top-ranked academics.

I tell parents to rank multiple schools because you don鈥檛 have to settle for a school you don鈥檛 like just because it happens to be within walking distance of home and because the Department of Education would really prefer it if your child went there. Because that would make it easier for them.

Because you don鈥檛 have to make it easier for them.

Because other parents are already doing this.

Because 鈥� even if those same families don鈥檛 want to admit that what they’re doing is exercising school choice. I work with some of the latter families, helping them determine the most appropriate schools for their children. Our conversations go like this:

鈥淲e don鈥檛 believe in school choice. School choice means , and we鈥檙e committed to sending our child to public school. We really .鈥�

鈥淪o you鈥檒l just be ranking your zoned public school then?鈥�

鈥淲ell, if we don鈥檛 get into .鈥�

鈥淭hat鈥檚 not a public school,鈥� I correct.

鈥淏ut it doesn鈥檛 cost anything to attend!鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a school, but it鈥檚 not under the Department of Education. It鈥檚 administered by Hunter College and it鈥檚 actually closer to being a charter school due to the 鈥斺��

鈥淏ut it鈥檚 a , right?鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a school for who have been read to, yes.鈥�

鈥淚f we don鈥檛 get into Hunter, we鈥檒l apply for a , hopefully a citywide, even though that might mean traveling outside our neighborhood, but we鈥檙e sure it will be worth it.鈥�

鈥淭he G&T schools, including Hunter, are some of the most segregated in the city. You did say you were .鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e applying to The Special Music School, too.鈥�

鈥淥nly about 15 kids out of 800 get into The Special Music School. of those who qualify for an accelerated citywide G&T school, and half of those who qualify for an enriched district G&T, , either.鈥�

鈥淚 know,鈥� they sigh. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just so unfair.鈥�

鈥淪o, about your zoned school 鈥斺��

鈥淯nfortunately, it鈥檚 just not the right fit for our child. Maybe if we could get into the , we鈥檇 consider it. We鈥檒l probably rank that, just in case. But, in general ed, half the students aren鈥檛 performing at grade level. Not that we鈥檙e , not like charter schools. Still, we鈥檇 prefer . There鈥檚 an in our district, and a few outside of it that we鈥檙e going to rank ahead of our zoned school.鈥�

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the correct strategy 鈥� . If you鈥檙e placed in any school other than your first choice, you鈥檒l be at all the schools ahead of the one where you were placed.鈥�

鈥淚f we鈥檙e waitlisted, we have friends at the school. They鈥檒l . And, of course, if nothing works out, we鈥檒l just .鈥�

鈥淪o it looks like you鈥檙e in good shape. We鈥檙e so lucky to have so much school choice in NYC.鈥�

鈥淥h, no,鈥� they remind me sternly. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 believe in .鈥�

Alina Adams is a New York Times best-selling romance and mystery writer, the author of Getting Into NYC Kindergarten and Getting Into NYC High School, a blogger at and mother of three. She believes you can’t have true school choice until all parents know all their school choices 鈥� and how to get them. Visit her website, .

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