Register for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) by Friday, October 31, 2025!
Budgeting Basics: Consumer Tips for Young Adults
Kickstart your family’s conversations about saving and spending money with these useful tips to help set up your young adult child for financial success.
Opportunities for Students (October 2025)
Time for City students to pumpkin spice up their October! Check out the outstanding learning and earning opportunities available for City public school students this month, including free workshops, college fairs, and prestigious volunteer experiences, and register/apply for them today!
Apply to NYC Middle Schools for Fall 2026 by December 12
From October 15 until December 12, 2025, NYC families can apply to middle school for the 2026–27 school year. Learn more about this year's admissions processes, including suggested tips and tools that you can use to discover and select programs, and submit your application!
Start Planning for Life After High School During College Application Month
October is New York State College Application Month—learn how City students can start getting ready for life after high school by taking advantage of the resources and opportunities available to them this month and beyond, including application fee waivers, online virtual events, and more!
Apply to High School for the 2026–27 School Year
From October 7 until December 3, 2025, NYC families can apply to high school for the 2026–27 school year. Learn more about this year's admissions processes, including suggested tips and tools that you can use to discover and select programs, and submit your application!
This October, Choose Kindness Over Bullies
The Month Ahead (October 2025)
We made it to the second month of the 2025–26 school year—check out what's happening in NYC Public Schools in October 2025, including Yom Kippur, Indigenous Peoples'/Italian Heritage Day, the start of our high school and middle school admissions processes for fall 2026, and Diwali!
Hidden Voices Spotlight: The Mendez Family's Fight for School Desegregation
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are sharing our Hidden Voices profile of Sylvia Mendez and her family who led a groundbreaking legal fight to end school segregation in California. Their case, Mendez v. Westminster, helped pave the way for Brown v. Board of Education and showed how courage, community, and determination can spark lasting change in the fight for educational equality.
Friday, October 31 is Halloween!
Whether you love cozy mysteries, spooky ghost stories, or something in between, these book recommendations for students of all grade levels are all treats (no tricks!) and each feature something for everyone to love this spooky season. We hope you enjoy these stories as much as we do!
Early Readers (3K–Grade 2)
- 10 Spooky Pumpkins, by Gris Grimley
- Boo Stew, by Donna L. Washington; illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler
- Gustavo, the Shy Ghost, by Flavia Z. Drago
- The Ofrenda That We Built, by Jolene Gutierrez and Shaian Guiterrez; illustrated by Gabby Zapata
- Trick-or-Treating in the City, by Tiffany D. Jackson; illustrated by Sawyer Cloud
- Zombelina, by Kristyn Crow; illustrated by Molly Idle
Elementary (Grades 3–5)
- A Bite Above the Rest, by Christine Virnig
- The Creepening of Dogwood House, by Eden Royce
- Embassy of the Dead, by Will Mabbit; illustrated by Chris Mould
- The Ghoul Next Door, by Cullen Bunn and Cat Farris
- Read at Your Own Risk, by Remy Lai
- Witches of Brooklyn, by Sophie Escabasse
Middle School (Grades 6–8)
- Hoodoo, by Ronald L. Smith
- More Bones: Scary Stories from Around the World, by Arielle North Olson and Howard Schwartz; illustrated by E.M. Gist
- Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave, by Ally Russell
- Nightmare Island, by Shakirah Bourne
- Spirit Hunters, by Ellen Oh
- The Witch Boy, by Molly Knox Ostertag
Upper Grades (Grades 9–12)
- Burn Down, Rise Up, by Vincent Tirado
- Cemetery Boys, Aiden Thomas
- Come Out, Come Out, by Natalie C. Parker
- Our Shadows Have Claws, edited by Yamile Saied Méndez and Amparo Ortiz; illustrated by Ricardo López Ortiz
- The Ghosts of Rose Hill, by R. M. Romero
- The Taking of Jake Livingston, by Ryan Douglass
You can find these books and many more great reads on Sora, our Citywide Digital Library, which provides free access to thousands of digital e-books and audiobooks for our students. You can also find even more great recommendations in the Carve Out Time with a Good Book Collection on Sora!
Missed our previous book recommendations?
Check them out in the "What We're Reading" Archive!
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR SCHOOLS
On September 4, NYC public schools across the five boroughs opened their doors for the first day of the 2025–26 school year. Check out some of our favorite moments from the first week of the new academic year, and join us as we wish all of our returning students and staff members a wonderful start!
Get Ready for More Learning and Less Scrolling
Beginning this September, NYC Public Schools will be implementing its new Cell Phone and Electronic Device Policy across all K–12 City public schools, including charter programs, in accordance with New York State law. Learn more about this "cell phone ban," and start getting ready for distraction-free schools this fall!
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!
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
