Only a tiny fraction of the black and Latino students who applied this year to eight of the city’s specialized high schools — considered the crown jewels in a system of 1,800 schools — were offered seats in one of the schools. | GETTY Racial segregation persists in city's most competitive high schools

New city data released Wednesday shows that by at least one measure, black and Latino students in New York City are still extremely under-represented at the city's most competitive high schools, even as deep-seated segregation in the school system has grown into one of the most pressing education issues of Mayor Bill de Blasio's tenure.

Only a tiny fraction of the black and Latino students who applied this year to eight of the city’s specialized high schools — considered the crown jewels in a system of 1,800 schools — were offered seats in one of the schools.


Of the nearly 5,850 black middle schoolers who took the specialized high school exam, only 194 scored high enough to gain admission at one of the schools. And of the 6,600 Latino students who took the exam this year, only 330 were accepted.

Slightly fewer black students took the exam this year compared to last year, and sixteen fewer black students were admitted to a specialized high school compared to last year. But about 550 more Latino students took the test this year compared to last year, and only ten more students got in, demonstrating that there’s still a wide gulf between access to the exam and the ability to ace it.

The specialized high school exam is unique, and many students who pass the test do so after months of intensive, and typically expensive, test preparation. Education officials noted that the city did more outreach this year in low-income neighborhoods to encourage students to take the specialized high school exam. Overall, nearly 28,000 middle school students took the specialized high school exam and just over 18 percent of test-takers were accepted into one of the eight schools.

A startling lack of diversity at the city’s most competitive high schools has been a concern for years. De Blasio — whose son Dante attended a specialized school, Brooklyn Technical High School — vowed to address the issue during his 2013 campaign. But solutions have thus far eluded his administration, as alumni groups and some elected officials have warned City Hall that a change to the system could make the process less fair or the schools less rigorous.

But racial segregation in the city’s specialized high schools has become an increasingly urgent topic for the mayor as advocates have highlighted the extent of the city’s integration challenges over the last year.

“Today’s announcement illustrates just how deep the chasm is between different communities in our public education system, and provides us with new evidence that the city is not doing enough to nurture and support gifted education in every neighborhood," Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said in a statement Wednesday.

The Department of Education did, however, release data showing initial positive results from a pilot program aimed at integrating a small handful of the city’s public schools. Fourteen schools that are setting aside part of their incoming classes for high-risk or minority students mostly met their admissions targets this year.

Several schools set aside as many as half of their seats for English language learners or students in the child welfare system. But schools that opened their admissions to high-risk students only after all zoned children were admitted were only able to dedicate 10 percent or less of their seats for at-risk children.

The department also released some good news related to another mounting education crisis that impacts one in ten of the city’s 1.1 million schoolchildren: homelessness. More students living in homeless shelters applied to twelve high schools on their applications; students can list up to a dozen schools. The city also recently piloted a program to provide admissions help for children in shelters. And more students living in shelters applied for Kindergarten compared to last year.

Other data released Wednesday showed that the number of students on Kindergarten waitlists for their zoned elementary school shrunk slightly to 1,083 children this year. Zoned waitlists are typically the result of overcrowded elementary schools.

The number of prospective high school students who were admitted to one of their top choices decreased slightly. Education officials said fewer students got into one of their first choices for high schools because more students applied this year. About 72 percent of students were admitted to one of their top three choices, compared to 75 percent last year.

“While there are many promising trends this admissions cycle – more support for students in shelter, fewer elementary schools with waitlists, and schools meeting their Diversity in Admissions targets – it’s clear there is much more work to do,” city schools chancellor Carmen Fariña said in a statement Wednesday. “Ultimately, the focus has to be – and is – on ensuring equity and excellence across every public school in New York City.”