Finish Off the School Year with Perfect Attendance
Keep your child’s education a top priority during the last few weeks of the 2024–25 school year.
Opportunities for Students (June 2025)
The final full month of the 2024–25 school year is here—time to lock in your late spring and summer plans! Check out all the learning and earning opportunities available for NYC public school students this month and beyond, including scholarships, free access to cultural institutions, and paid internships, and register/apply for them today!
Join NYC Public Libraries for Free Activities for the Whole Family This Summer
The Month Ahead (June 2025)
We made it to the last month of the 2024–25 school year! See what's happening in NYC Public Schools in June 2025, including Caribbean American Heritage Month, New York State Regents Exams, Anniversary Day, PRIDE Month , Eid al-Adha, Juneteenth, and the last day of school!
Opportunities for Students (May 2025)
The final full month of the 2024–25 school year is here—time to lock in your late spring and summer plans! Check out all the learning and earning opportunities available for NYC public school students this month and beyond, including scholarships, free access to cultural institutions, and paid internships, and register/apply for them today!
Pride Month Highlight: Edie Windsor
June is Pride Month! In celebration, we’re highlighting our profile of Edith “Edie” Windsor, a computer programmer and pioneering LGBTQ+ activist best known for her role in the landmark Supreme Court case, United States v. Windsor, that helped lead towards the eventual legalization of gay marriage in the United States.
Caribbean American Heritage Month Highlight: Helen Rodríguez-Trías
In celebration of Caribbean American Heritage Month in June, we’re highlighting our profile of Helen Rodríguez-Trías, a doctor and activist who played a pivotal role in the women’s health movement by advocating for the rights and freedoms of Puerto Rican women and other marginalized communities throughout her career.
What We're Reading
June is Immigrant Heritage Month! Celebrated each year since 2014, this month honors the legacy and contributions of immigrants who came to the U.S. in search of a better life over the course of centuries. This includes the over 40% of American citizens who can trace their ancestry back to immigrants who passed through Ellis Island in New York.
These book recommendations highlight the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the individuals and their families who came from all across the world throughout different eras of history to make invaluable contributions to our nation, our state, and our city. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Early Readers (3K–Grade 2)
- America, My New Home, by Monica Funning; illustrated by Ken Condon
- Areli is a Dreamer: A True Story, by Areli Morales; illustrated by Luisa Uribe
- Gittel's Journey: An Ellis Island Story, by Lesléa Newman; illustrated by Amy June Bates
- Home is in Between, by Mitali Perkins; illustrated by Lavanya Naidu
- Maribel's Year, by Michelle Sterling; illustrated by Sarah Gonzales
- Watch Me, by Doyin Richards; illustrated by Joe Cepeda
Elementary (Grades 3–5)
- First Generation: 36 Trailblazing Immigrants and Refugees Who Make America Great, by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace; illustrated by Agata Nowicka
- Front Desk, by Kelly Yang
- Land of the Cranes, by Aida Salazar
- A Long Pitch Home, by Natalie Dias Lorenzi
- One Good Thing About America, by Ruth Freeman
- Sugar in Milk, by Thrity Umrigar; illustrated by Khoa Le
Middle School (Grades 6–8)
- Dear America: The Story of an Undocumented Citizen (Young Readers' Edition), by Jose Antonio Vargas
- Everything Sad is Untrue, by Daniel Nayeri
- Illegal, by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin; illustrated by Giovanni Rigano
- Santiago's Road Home, by Alexandra Diaz
- Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy, by Jonathan Hill
- Tethered to Other Stars, by Eliza Stone Leahy
Upper Grades (Grades 9–12)
- Almost American Girl, by Robin Ha
- Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card, by Sara Saedi
- The Cat I Never Named, by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan
- Come On In: 15 Stories About Immigration and Finding Home, edited by Adi Alsaid
- Living Beyond Borders, by Margarita Longoria
- Sanctuary, by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher
You can find these books and many more on Sora, our Citywide Digital Library. Sora provides free access to thousands of e-books and audiobooks for NYCPS students. You can explore additional recommendations in the “Immigration: The Voices of Immigrants in America” Collection on Sora! For further resources and answers to frequently asked questions, please also check out our Immigrant Families webpage.
Missed our previous book recommendations?
Check them out in the "What We're Reading" Archive!
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR SCHOOLS
Since 2018, the New York City Public School Film Festival has highlighted student filmmakers' creative and diverse works. Check out how this year’s event, now in its seventh year, celebrated the 2024–25 honorees.
Ready to Read: Literacy Resources for Families
NYC Reads is reshaping the way that we teach our students to read, but the learning doesn't have to stop at the classroom door! Whether it's a family book club or a phonics-based 20 questions game, you can bring the "science of reading" home by using any of our helpful resources that will help your children continue to develop their literacy skills, like:
- Reading Games
- Phonics, Vocabulary, and Storytelling Practice
- And more!
A MySchools.nyc Tutorial: Learn the Basics
Throughout any stage of New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) application processes for 3-K, Pre-K, Kindergarten, middle school, high school, and Gifted and Talented (G&T) for grades 1, 2, 3, and 4, you can use MySchools.nyc—learn how to today!
Stay Informed with a NYC Schools Account (NYCSA)
With a NYCSA, you can:
- Access your child's school information on the go
- See your student’s grades, test scores and more
- Complete important forms
- Take classes in Parent University
- Get technology support through SupportHub
