Townsend Harris Admissions Overview
Townsend Harris admissions, step by step.
Start with who can apply and how the grade groups work. Then see what the essay and video add.
Checked against Townsend Harris's published admissions pages on November 5, 2026.
Who can apply
Who can apply and how groups work.
Townsend Harris is a screened NYC public high school. It is not one of the SHSAT schools, and applications go through MySchools.
- The school
- Townsend Harris High School is a public high school in Queens. It admits students through MySchools using grades plus a school-based essay and video, not the SHSAT.
- Entry grades
- Families apply for entry to Grade 9, and a limited route exists for Grade 10.
- How to apply
- Families can apply online with MySchools (recommended), through the school counselor, or through a Family Welcome Center.
- Grade groups
- NYC Public Schools places screened applicants into groups by the average of their final 7th-grade core course grades in English, math, science and social studies. A student must fall within the top percentage citywide or at their NYC public school.
- Offer order
- Offers go out in group order, starting with Group 1. When a group has more applicants than seats, a random number assigned to each application decides.
- Citywide averages
- Citywide minimum averages for fall 2027 are 94.67 for Group 1 (top 15%), 90.33 for Group 2 (top 30%), 84.00 for Group 3 (top 50%) and 77.25 for Group 4 (top 70%).
- Minimum averages
- A student also needs a minimum average to qualify for a group: 90 for Group 1, 80 for Group 2, 75 for Group 3 and 65 for Group 4.
- Your school average
- To learn the averages needed at your child's own NYC public school, contact the current school after the application period begins.
- Your child's group
- While the application is open, families can see their child's group in MySchools under Edit profile.
- Charter and private school students
- Charter school students are eligible for a group based on the citywide averages, and on their school average if the charter provides grades. Students outside NYC public schools qualify on citywide averages only.
- Non-numeric grades
- When a school does not use numeric grades, NYC Public Schools converts them with a published table. For example, an A counts as 95, a B as 85 and a C as 75.
- Grade 10 entry
- For Grade 10 entry in fall 2027, the school admits top-performing applicants from each middle school and citywide, placed by their final 8th-grade core course grades. Grade 10 applicants do not submit an essay or video.
- 01
Ask your current school for the group averages as soon as the application opens, because they differ school by school.
- 02
Check the group MySchools shows under Edit profile before you plan around it.
The application
What the Grade 9 application includes.
- Weights
- For Grade 9 entry in fall 2027, the school weighs average course grades at 60%, the essay at 20% and the video at 20%.
- Submission
- The essay and video are submitted through MySchools, under the Additional Materials tab on the application dashboard.
- When it is read
- The school evaluates all essays and videos after the MySchools application closes on December 4.
- Diversity in Admissions
- Townsend Harris has a Diversity in Admissions Initiative. Applicants eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch are considered first for 50% of seats, and all students are considered for the other 50%.
- Students with disabilities
- Each screened program reserves a portion of seats for students with disabilities, and those seats are filled in group order.
- Program listing
- The school appears on the NYC Public Schools assessment list as program 25Q525 in Queens.
- Help applying
- A school counselor or a Family Welcome Center can help families access MySchools, build a balanced application and apply.