Overview
- City officials report more than 75,000 applications since Jan. 14, still below last year’s roughly 95,000 with the Feb. 27 cutoff approaching.
- Leaders stress the process is not first-come, first-served and say every family that applies by the deadline will receive an offer for the 2026–27 school year.
- A Spanish-language video by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez urges parents to apply, underscoring eligibility regardless of income or immigration status and noting no Social Security number is required.
- Families can apply online at MySchools.nyc, by calling 718-935-2009 with interpretation in 200+ languages, or in person at Family Welcome Centers across the five boroughs.
- The outreach drive has drawn criticism from commentators focused on services for undocumented families, as the administration frames the program as key to affordability and part of a broader expansion effort supported by city and state funding.