Harlem Link is the right place for your child!
We invite all families looking for an amazing school to apply for their Pre-K to 5th Grade students! We also offer priority enrollment to siblings of current students and students in District 3.
To enroll for the 2023-24 school year, click on our SchoolMint page!
Families, if you do not have a SchoolMint account, please create one here first.
To join our student lottery, click this link on April 3rd at 10am.
Accepted? What’s Next?
- Complete all required documents
- Attend a New Family Orientation and tour the school!
- Virtual options are available upon request.
Interested families can submit an application online!
You can also download and print a paper application here (English, Spanish), for mail to:
Harlem Link Charter School
Attn: Student Enrollment Team
21 West 111th Street, Room 137
New York, NY 10026
Take a school tour!
Sign up for an in-person or video a tour of the school, both virtually or in-person.
In-Person Tour Dates: TBA
Take a video tour of our amazing school building and imagine you and your family walking our halls next school year!
Why Harlem Link is right for you!
Who can enroll at Harlem Link?
As seats are available, Harlem Link enrolls all students who apply and meet eligibility criteria described below. The school enrolls students regardless of disability, English language proficiency or prior academic performance.
Children enrolling at Harlem Link must live in New York State.
Preference in enrollment is given to:
- Students currently residing in NYC Community School District 3 (as per NYS Charter law)
- Siblings of current Harlem Link students
Students enrolling in Pre-K must be 4 years old by December 31st of the year in which they are enrolling.
Students enrolling in Kindergarten must be 5 years old by December 31st of the school year in which they are enrolling.
Are there any open houses I can attend?
All New Family Orientations will be announced shortly. In the meantime, you can come and tour our school. Click here to sign up for a tour. Any questions regarding Harlem Link, our program, open seats, and/or about the application process, please speak with our Student Recruitment Coordinator, Sharene Caraway at 212-289-3249 or info@harlemlink.org
What is the "lottery"?
When there are more applications than available seats in a particular grade for the following year, the school holds a lottery in the month of April to randomly select students for the upcoming school year. This is a system followed by most charter schools in NYC, and accounts for priority placement to students in District 3 and siblings of those currently enrolled in the school.
We conduct our lottery via an online Student Enrollment database. This is a fair and random process, in which student application are randomly selected. While not all families may be accepted the day of the lottery, with many charter school options in Harlem, waiting lists tend to move more quickly.
- The 2023-2024 School Year lottery will be held in April 3rd 2023.
However, we accept applications on rolling basis, year-round, and welcome families to apply at any time! Your application will be added to the waitlist and a member of our student recruitment team will be in touch.
To join our student lottery, click this link on April 3rd at 10am.
Please note that waitlists move quickly, so please continue to apply!
What happens after my child is accepted?
After enrolling, you may attend an orientation session. Orientations are held throughout the spring and summer at various times during and after school hours. At the session, you will learn more about the school’s expectations and promises, and you will have the opportunity to meet key administrators to ask questions about the school. Most importantly, all children must have the following documents in order to secure their seat:
- Valid Birth Certificate
- 2 Proofs of Address
- Most recent physical & immunizations
- HLIS (Home Language Identification Survey)
- Completion of all Harlem Link-specific forms
Will my child be assessed during the enrollment process?
Students who enroll in Grades Kindergarten through 5th Grade will have a diagnostic assessment to better understand your child’s academic and social-emotional strengths and needs. We will use a variety of tools to understand your child across reading, writing and math. With our incoming 1st through 5th Grade students, we use the assessments to place students in the appropriate grades. At times, this means that students may be placed in the grade below the one that they attended at their previous school.
All decisions are made in careful collaboration with you, the family of our future student. Additionally, we do not have a formal assessment before starting Pre-K, but teachers in Pre-K will get to know your child once your child starts Pre-K.
Is there a school uniform?
Yes, we have school uniforms to support our inclusive environment, create a visual statement of community, ensure that we are keeping students safe, and reduce distractions and eliminate any possible stigmas attached to personal clothing choices. With Grades Pre-K through 2nd Grade, students wear a Navy Blue collared polo shirt with the Harlem Link logo, and in Grades 3rd to 5th Grade, students wear a Burgundy collared polo shirt with the Harlem Link logo. Students in all grades may wear a Charcoal Gray or Navy Blue sweater. Students in all grades wear Charcoal Gray or Black bottoms. Students may wear blue jeans on Fridays only with their Harlem Link polo shirt, and we also have special Spirit Days once a month!
You may purchase uniforms from Ideal Uniform here.
Please reach out if your family is in temporary housing, a shelter or transitional housing for pricing accommodations.
When will I meet my child's teachers?
All families, new and returning, will have the opportunity to meet their child’s teacher before the first day of school! Relationships Matter at Harlem Link, and every family has the opportunity to have a Family Interview with your child’s teachers. During this Family Interview, which takes place in-person or on Zoom, families will share their hopes and dreams for their child and everything important that your child’s teacher should know. You are the expert on your child, and our teachers want to hear from you. During this Family Interview, you will also learn more about your child’s teachers, classroom expectations and about the academic program. You will receive a phone call, email and/or message regarding your child’s classroom and the teacher.
Is the enrollment process fair?
As a public charter school, we believe in and abide the following non-discrimination guidance from New York State in our enrollment process:
A charter school shall not discriminate against or limit the admission of any student on any unlawful basis, including on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, disability, intellectual ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, athletic ability, race, creed, religion or ancestry. A school may not require any action by a student or family (such as an admissions test, interview, essay, attendance at an information session, etc.) in order for an applicant to either receive or submit an application for admission to that school.
#RelationshipsMatter
"Since we were accepted in Pre-K, we were helped and felt a warm welcome. We can’t wait to attend and walk through the doors (even the remote ones!)!"
- Harlem Link Parent
"I like the diverse curriculum of the charter school my child attends. My daughter is not only learning the basics of arithmetic and English, but her studies are rich in science, the arts and social studies. I also appreciate the way the school makes me feel welcome as a partner in my child's education."
- Harlem Link Parent
“A mi me encanta Harlem Link porque el personal es muy atento con las familias, tienen alto nivel de compromiso en la educación de sus alumnos, los tratan como si fueran los únicos alumnos, quiero decir que la atención es muy personalizada. Se ganan el corazón de las familias y considero que los medios que usan para el aprendizaje son cuidadosamente diseñados.”
- Samantha, Harlem Link Parent
"Harlem Link to me is like home. It’s a place where I have fun and grew up in."
- Kadidia, HL16
"Harlem Link did everything possible both academically and emotionally to prepare my daughter for middle school."
- Harlem Link Parent
