By Tanushri Singh
Two New York City council members are calling for a dramatic shift in how students are admitted to the city’s top specialized high schools, taking aim at the single test system to address persistent racial disparities.
In a letter to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels, Councilmembers Nantasha Williams and Lincold Restler urged the city to stop relying solely on the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) for five of the eight elite schools. They also proposed adding thousands of new seats.
“The admissions process for our specialized high schools is profoundly flawed, and the city needs to take action now,” Restler said. The push follows new admissions data showing that out of 777 incoming freshmen accepted into Stuyvesant High School, only three were Black and 21 were Latino systemwide. Black students received just 3 percent of specialized high school offers despite representing 19 percent of public school students, while, Latino students earned 6.5 percent of those seats despite making up to 42 percent of the student body. Asian students, who make up 19 percent of the student body received 56.5 percent of offers and White students received 23.5 percent of the offers while making up 16.5 percent of all students.
Williams, who represents the district where York College is located, called the numbers a “shining example” of how the system continues to fail Black and Brown youth.
While state law mandates the test for Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Tech, the lawmakers argue the mayor can immediately change policies for the other five schools including Brooklyn Latin, Staten Island Tech, and Queens High School for the Sciences at York College.
They recommend an integrated approach combining baseline scores with grades, recommendations, essays, and student background, alongside expanded middle school math programs and test prep in low income areas. Mamdani has previously voiced support for broader metrics, noting “a single test does not reflect the aptitude of students across the city,” according to an article on the news website Gothamist.
However, defenders of the exam are pushing back. Yiatin Chu of Parent Leaders of Accelerated Curriculum and Education argued against altering standards to change student demographics, telling Gothamist that the city should prepare all NYC students so they can compete and excel at these schools rather than tinkering with admissions, but instead advocating for expanding seat capacity.
