Discovery program

A boot camp aimed at improving diversity at New York City's elite specialized high schools, including Stuyvesant High School, was reformed in 2018. However, data shows the program still lacks diversity.

New York City's specialized high schools offered 4,000 admissions this year, with only 3.5% (140) going to Black students, highlighting racial disparities in the SHSAT-based admissions process. Critics argue the standardized test disproportionately disadvantages students of color, and efforts like the Discovery program fail to address systemic inequities in public education.

Black students received 3.5% of offers to NYC's specialized high schools, with Asian students receiving over 50% and white students 23%. Stuyvesant High School and Staten Island Technical High School issued minimal offers to Black students. The admissions process relies on the SHSAT, except for LaGuardia High School, and faces calls for reform due to racial inequities.

New York City's specialized high schools, which rely on the SHSAT for admissions, offered disproportionately few seats to Black students, with only 3.5% of total offers going to them despite comprising 19.3% of the city's student population. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has pledged to review the admissions results to address racial and economic inequities.

Just one Black student received an offer to Staten Island Technical High School out of nearly 300, while Stuyvesant and the High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering also saw historically low numbers for Black students. Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to review the admissions process, which relies on the SHSAT test, as racial disparities persist despite slight increases in Black and Latino student offers compared to previous years.