School Fit
Decide whether Townsend Harris fits your student
Look past selectivity to what the school asks students to do and to value.
Checked against Townsend Harris's published admissions pages on November 5, 2026.
School fit
Is Townsend Harris a fit?
- 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.
- The oath
- Every Townsend Harris student swears the Ephebic Oath, and the admissions questions are built around it.
- Open house
- The in-person open house is Tuesday, November 10, 2026, from 5 to 7:30pm. No advance registration is needed.
- Open house for students with IEPs
- The Instructional Support Services open house for students with IEPs is Thursday, November 5, 2026, from 5 to 7pm. Registration is requested.
- Information sessions
- NYC Public Schools holds family information sessions on exploring high schools and understanding how offers are made. Remaining sessions are Tuesday, November 10 from 6 to 7pm in Mandarin and Monday, November 23 from 5 to 6pm in English with interpretation.
- 01
Ask your student what kind of classroom they want, and let them answer honestly.
- 02
Go to the open house and ask what a typical week looks like.