Parents have complained for decades that getting into an elite independent school in Manhattan is harder than getting into Harvard; for the wealthy parents who are competing to spend about $70,000 a year, it’s an infamously complicated and time-intensive game of tutoring and networking that involves preschoolers sitting for assessments and “interviews” just before nap time. But the February 2026 notification week for children who applied to kindergartens in the city was more brutal than expected. All month long, in Facebook groups like “Moms of the Upper East Side” and “UES Mommas,” parents of 4- and 5-year-olds had been venting about misguided expectations as they came to terms with getting wait-listed and rejected at the schools where they genuinely believed their children would soon enroll. “Any other moms feeling disappointed in the private school results today?” asked one mother who struck out in the process. A steady stream of commiseration filled the comments section. “So much hard work and time put in for a disappointing outcome.” “Many tears have been shed,” wrote another. “Not sure how to proceed.” “Confused as to who got in,” added one well-connected observer. Another parent wrote, “It’s a bloodbath this year.” Matt Stieb reports on why admissions to New York’s private kindergartens was unusually competitive this cycle: