HCCS are the laboratory schools of the City University of New York and administered by Hunter College.  The only entry years at Hunter College Campus Schools are Kindergarten and Seventh Grade.
Hunter College High School Admissions

Thank you for your interest in Hunter College High School.

The information below is for admission to the 7th grade class for September 2010. Some important information and parts of the process may be different from that of previous years. The NYC Dept. of Education state-wide scaled scores that determine eligibility to sit for the HCHS entrance exam are recalculated each year.

• This year, only 6th grade students who have a scaled score of 712 on the ELA portion and 734 on the Math portion of their 5th grade state-wide test will be eligible to sit for the Hunter College High School entrance exam.
• Students in independent and parochial schools must have scored in the 90th national percentile of the English/Reading and Math tests used at their schools and have those scores reported directly to the Admissions office.
• We will arrange a qualifying examination for students for whom no scores are available, if the principal of the home school submits a letter of recommendation with evidence of the student’s academic qualifications to the Admissions office.

The Admissions Process

Principals at all New York City Schools have been sent a packet outlining the admissions process and inviting them to refer students for the Entrance Exam. If your school has not notified you of your child’s eligibility for the Hunter Entrance Exam, but s/he possesses the scores shown above you may apply individually.

Please click below to download the Application Form.

Application Request Form

Applications must be accompanied by:

(1) an official copy of your child’s test scores printed out by the school where s/he attended 5th grade, and
(2) a $65 money order for Application Fee made out to Hunter College High School.
Personal checks and Parent copies of test scores will not be accepted. Applications received without payment or official test scores will be immediately returned.
Families who are not able to pay the $65 Application Fee must complete a Fee Waiver Form which must be accompanied by appropriate documentation.

Please click below to download the Fee Waiver Form

Fee Waiver Request

Complete the Application Form (and Fee Waiver, if applying) and mail it to:

Hunter College High School -Office of Admissions
71 East 94th St New York, NY 10128

If you would like to drop off applications by hand, the Admissions office is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00am to 2:00pm until Thursday, November 19th. You may also drop off completed applications in person at other times at the Admissions Lock Box, located at the Public Safety desk at the school’s entrance.

THE APPLICATION DEADLINE IS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH, 2009.
NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS DATE AND INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL BE RETURNED.

There is extensive information about the curriculum available on the HCHS Homepage. See the 2009-2010 Course Catalog among other options on that page.

HCHS Admissions Processes for 2009 / 2010 school year
HCHS Program Overview for 2009 / 2010 school year

Hunter College Elementary School (HCES) Admissions:  For information about applying for the HCES September 2010 Kindergarten Class, please visit the elementary school’s website at http://hces.hunter.cuny.edu.

The Hunter College Campus Schools (HCCS) in New York City are comprised of Hunter College Elementary School (HCES), grades K-6, and Hunter College High School (HCHS), grades 7-12. They are publicly funded, specialized schools whose mission is specifically designed to educate intellectually and academically gifted students.

A faculty of committed leaders and innovators in the field of gifted education use teaching methods designed to develop critical and creative thinking while also offering their students opportunities to accelerate learning and to study topics in great depth.

The Campus Schools aspire to be a community with a student population that reflects New York’s diversity; that fosters respect for and appreciation of individual and cultural differences; emphasizes social responsibility, community service and good citizenship; and values civility and ethical behavior.

The high school years are characterized by a rigorous college preparatory education in the liberal arts and sciences which prepares students to attend the nation’s leading colleges and universities, as well as for lifelong leadership and achievement. A wide array of extra curricular activities and a program rich in the visual and performing arts are also available for students.

The term “gifted” generally refers to unusually well developed qualities or characteristics that are in one’s profile of talents and affinities relative to the typical range of those same characteristics observed in others of that age group.  Giftedness is not necessarily a quality one is born with, and it is most certainly fluid—it can increase or diminish as one develops over time.  Giftedness can be identified in a wide realm of talents: musical, spatial, quantitative, linguistic, etc. The program at HCHS is most appropriate for intellectually gifted students who would benefit from accelerated academic curricula.

Hunter College High School (HCHS) offers a program designed specifically for students who demonstrate characteristics associated with intellectually oriented interests, skills and talents. A gifted child may manifest many, but not all of the characteristics of high academic potential. Many characteristics, such as task commitment and creativity, for example, are characteristics that can be developed.

Children who demonstrate advanced problem solving skills and abstract reasoning, a persistent desire to know about things, strong memory and recall, and a faster pace of assimilating and applying new knowledge, should be formally evaluated for programs that offer developmentally appropriate programming for advanced learners.

Listed below are some of the behaviors most frequently associated with intellectually gifted children.

OBSERVABLE BEHAVIORS MOST OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH INTELLECTUALLY GIFTED CHILDREN

Learning Characteristics & Behaviors

• A high level of measured intelligence (reasoning skills measure several years above age mates)
• Learns rapidly and easily; may resist doing routine work or works in careless manner
• Prefers complex and challenging tasks rather than basic or routine work; may resist challenging work for fear his/her struggle will be seen by others
• Knows about many things of which others of the same age are not yet unaware; retains knowledge
• Verbally proficient, exhibits advanced vocabulary for age or grade level
• Reads with comprehension several years above grade level; voracious reader
• Skilled in and enjoys problem solving; enjoys working with numbers
• Easily discerns relationships and patterns
• Draws inferences; advanced critical and creative thinking skills
• Displays curiosity about many topics, keenly observant
• Transfers learning to new situations

Motivational Characteristics

• Has passionate interests, easily absorbed in activities and thoughts; in middle school grades, may not transition to next activity quickly/easily if absorbed in current activity
• Persistent in seeking task completion
• Prefers to work independently, requires little direction; may dislike cooperative/collaborative learning
• Assumes and discharges responsibility; may dominate others (Some will choose to observe and quietly assess new situations before engaging in the activity; this is not the same as shyness.)
• Strong beliefs; opinionated

Creative Characteristics

• Displays intellectual playfulness; asks many “what if” questions; may be a nonconformist
• Enjoys experimentation; invents new methods or solutions to tasks; may daydream, be absentminded or disorganized
• Displays a keen sense of humor or sees humor in subtle situations; may make jokes or comments at inappropriate time

Social-Emotional Characteristics

• Has strong sense of justice/fairness; may assertively oppose perceived injustices
• Self-confident; may believe he/she is valued for what he/she can do rather than who he/she is; may fear loss of regard from others if exceptional ability is lost
• Tends to be a perfectionist; may be self-critical and critical of others, may work slowly, may procrastinate
• Bases friendships on similarity of interest rather than age
• Adjusts easily to new situations showing either quiet/observant or gregarious behavior

Most experts agree that judging giftedness is more a process of observing a child’s behaviors, which when compared with other children of the same age, are significantly more advanced. The behaviors listed above are for reference only and should not be used as a checklist for the identification of giftedness.

How does HCHS identify students who are most likely to benefit from their specialized educational program?

HCHS currently uses the scores above the 90th percentile in BOTH reading and math on a nationally standardized test or the NY State Testing Program from a student’s fifth grade year as the initial identifier of potentially intellectually gifted students. By achieving the top 10% of scores, these students qualify to sit for the HCHS Entrance Examination in the January preceding the fall enrollment in 7th grade.

Most experts agree that judging giftedness is more a process of observing a child’s behaviors, which when compared with other children of the same age, are significantly more advanced. The behaviors listed above are for reference only and should not be used as a checklist for the identification of giftedness.

New York State Education Department’s Definition of Gifted:

The term ‘gifted pupils’ shall mean those pupils who show evidence of high performance capability and exceptional potential in areas such as general intellectual ability, special academic aptitude and outstanding ability in visual and performing arts. Such definition shall include those pupils who require educational programs or services beyond those normally provided by the regular school program in order to realize their full potential. (New York Education Law § 4452)

A Sampling of Links to Websites to Learn More about Gifted and Talented Children Who Require Specialized Educational Methods:

Resource to support Gifted Teens.
http://giftedkids.about.com/od/giftedadolescents/Gifted_Teens.htm

Hoagies Gifted Education Home Page. 
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/

Summer Institute for the Gifted.
http://www.giftedstudy.com/

Myths and Truths about Gifted Kids.
http://school.familyeducation.com/gifted-education/parenting/38662.html

Gifted Children: Identification, Encouragement, and Development. 
http://www.gifted-children.com/

NYC Dept of Ed. Website with information about their programs.
http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/GiftedandTalented/default.htm

Information about Intellectual Giftedness.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/i/intellectual_giftedness.htm

Understanding The Emotional, Intellectual and Social Uniqueness Of Growing Up Gifted.
http://nswagtc.org.au/info/articles/SwordUnderstandingEmotional.html