NYC has the largest public school system in the country and a uniquely two-tiered structure: nine Specialized High Schools admit by the SHSAT exam, and the rest admit by application or by zone. The schools below are ranked by a blend of average SAT score, four-year college matriculation rate, and Ivy/T20 placement. Data is from each school's most recent NYC DOE School Performance Dashboard plus published Common Data Sets.
The 9 Specialized High Schools (SHSAT-admit)
| School | Neighborhood | Zip | Avg SAT | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stuyvesant High School | Battery Park / FiDi | 10282 | 1480–1520 | Highest SHSAT cutoff, ~3% admit rate |
| Bronx High School of Science | Bedford Park | 10468 | 1430–1490 | 8 Nobel laureate alumni; STEM-flagship |
| Brooklyn Technical High School | Fort Greene | 11217 | 1350–1430 | Largest specialized HS, engineering-heavy |
| Brooklyn Latin | Williamsburg | 11206 | 1320–1410 | IB diploma curriculum, classics-focused |
| Staten Island Technical | New Dorp | 10306 | 1380–1470 | Strong CS and engineering tracks |
| Queens HS for Sciences at York College | Jamaica | 11451 | 1290–1380 | Smaller cohort (~110/grade) |
| HS for Math, Science and Engineering at CCNY | Hamilton Heights | 10031 | 1310–1400 | Dual-enrollment with City College |
| HS for American Studies at Lehman | Bedford Park | 10468 | 1290–1370 | Humanities-leaning specialized |
| Bardwell HS at LaGuardia (audition-admit) | Lincoln Square | 10023 | 1280–1390 | Performing-arts admit (separate from SHSAT) |
Top non-specialized public high schools
| School | Neighborhood | Zip | Avg SAT | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter College High School | Upper East Side | 10128 | 1490–1530 | Hunter HS exam (separate from SHSAT) in 6th grade |
| Townsend Harris High School | Flushing | 11367 | 1370–1440 | Screened admission by GPA + state test scores |
| Beacon High School | Hell's Kitchen | 10036 | 1330–1410 | Portfolio-based admission |
| Eleanor Roosevelt High School | Yorkville / UES | 10075 | 1320–1400 | Manhattan zone + screened |
| Bard High School Early College | Lower East Side | 10002 | 1310–1390 | Earn 60 college credits during HS |
| NYC iSchool | SoHo | 10013 | 1290–1370 | Project-based, smaller program |
| Bronx HS of Science adjacent — HSMSE | Hamilton Heights | 10031 | 1310–1400 | Dual-enrollment STEM |
| Millennium High School | FiDi | 10005 | 1290–1380 | Project-based curriculum |
| Frank McCourt High School | Upper West Side | 10024 | 1280–1360 | Screened humanities-focused |
Top private high schools (for context)
Private school tuition in Manhattan runs $60K–$70K annually. Schools commonly compared to the Specialized HS for college outcomes include Trinity (10024), Dalton (10128), Spence (10075), Brearley (10075), Collegiate (10024), Horace Mann (Riverdale, 10471), Fieldston (10471), and Regis (10128, free for Catholic boys). Average SAT scores at these schools cluster 1450–1520; Ivy League matriculation rates run 30–55%.
How to actually get into a Specialized High School
The SHSAT is the only criterion for admission to eight of the nine specialized schools (LaGuardia uses auditions). It tests math (computation, geometry, algebra) and ELA (revising, editing, reading comprehension), with each section scored on a curve. The cutoff for Stuyvesant typically lands around 560 (out of 800); Bronx Science cuts around 520; Brooklyn Tech around 490.
SHSAT prep timeline
- 1Summer before 7th grade — start with one practice test to set a baseline. The DOE's free practice booklet is a fine starting point.
- 2Fall of 7th grade — 4–6 hours per week of prep, alternating math drill and ELA passage practice.
- 3Spring of 7th grade — full-length practice exams every other Saturday.
- 4Summer before 8th grade — heaviest prep window. Most students who get into Stuyvesant do 100+ hours over this summer.
- 5Fall of 8th grade — exam in late October.
How AceNotes fits NYC high school students
Three jobs AceNotes does for NYC students: (1) SHSAT prep — math drill cards and ELA passage analysis built into the free study sets; (2) AP exam prep — most NYC private schools and specialized HS push 8+ APs per student, and AceNotes has 100 AP-aligned study sets across every subject; (3) regular class material — drop in your bio textbook PDF or a Khan Academy video and get a structured study set generated in 30 seconds.
Borough-by-borough strategy notes
Manhattan
If you live in Manhattan, your zoned high school depends on your address. Upper East Side (10021, 10028, 10128) zones to Eleanor Roosevelt, with Hunter HS as the screened-by-exam alternative. Upper West Side (10023, 10024) zones to Frank McCourt or LaGuardia. Downtown (below 14th St — 10002, 10003, 10009, 10013) has Bard HSEC and Millennium. Specialized HS admissions are zone-blind.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn Tech (Fort Greene, 11217) is the largest specialized school and the easiest to get into of the top three. Brooklyn Latin (11206) and Brooklyn HS for Studies in Performing Arts (11217) are smaller. Park Slope (11215) and Brooklyn Heights (11201) zones are screened to schools like Edward R. Murrow (Midwood, 11230).
Queens
Townsend Harris (Flushing, 11367) is the strongest non-specialized public school in Queens and one of the top in the city. Queens HS for Sciences at York College (11451) is the borough's main specialized option. Bayside, Forest Hills, and Cardozo HS are competitive zoned schools.
The Bronx
Bronx Science (10468) is the borough's flagship and one of the country's strongest STEM high schools. Riverdale (10471) is private-school territory: Horace Mann, Fieldston, and Riverdale Country School all sit in 10471.
Staten Island
Staten Island Tech (10306) is the only specialized HS on the island and consistently produces strong college outcomes. Tottenville HS and Susan E. Wagner HS are the major zoned alternatives.
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