What Score Do You Need on the SHSAT? 2026 Cutoff Scores for Every Specialized High School
Every year, roughly 27,000 New York City students sit for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT), all competing for about 4,000 seats at the city's eight exam-based specialized high schools. The single biggest question on every student's and parent's mind: what score do I actually need to get in?
In this guide, we break down the most recent SHSAT cutoff scores for every school, explain how the admissions process works behind the scenes, and help you set a realistic target score for the 2026 admissions cycle.
How SHSAT Offers Are Made
Before diving into the numbers, it's critical to understand the mechanism behind SHSAT admissions — because it's not as simple as "get above X score and you're in."
Here's how it actually works:
- Every student is ranked by their composite SHSAT score, from highest to lowest.
- Starting from the top, the DOE looks at each student's ranked list of school preferences (you can rank all 8 schools in order of preference on your answer sheet).
- The highest-scoring student gets their first-choice school. Then the second-highest scorer gets their first choice — unless that school is already full, in which case they get their next available preference.
- This continues down the list until all seats are filled.
This means cutoff scores aren't pre-set. They're the lowest score of the last student admitted to each school in a given year. Cutoffs emerge organically from the combination of scores and preferences.
Why This Matters for You
If you score a 530 and your first choice is Stuyvesant (cutoff: 556), you won't get into Stuyvesant — but you'd still receive an offer from your next-preference school where your score exceeds the cutoff. Ranking a school first does not hurt your chances at other schools. Always rank your true first choice first.
2025 SHSAT Cutoff Scores for All 8 Specialized High Schools
Here are the most recently published cutoff scores from the 2025 admissions cycle (for students entering 9th grade in Fall 2025):
| School | Cutoff Score | Approximate Selectivity | |--------|-------------|------------------------| | Stuyvesant High School | 556 | Most competitive | | Staten Island Technical High School | 527 | Very competitive | | High School of Math, Science & Engineering (HSMSE) at CCNY | 526 | Very competitive | | Bronx High School of Science | 518 | Highly competitive | | Queens High School for the Sciences at York College | 518 | Highly competitive | | Brooklyn Technical High School | 505 | Competitive | | High School of American Studies at Lehman College | 504 | Competitive | | Brooklyn Latin School | 496 | Competitive |
Key takeaway: The range spans 60 points, from 496 (Brooklyn Latin) to 556 (Stuyvesant). Every single point matters — especially at the top.
What These Numbers Mean in Practice
The SHSAT composite score is derived from your performance on 114 questions (57 ELA + 57 Math), scaled to a score that typically falls between roughly 200 and 700. The scaling formula is not publicly disclosed, but we can estimate raw performance thresholds:
- Stuyvesant (556): You likely need approximately 90% of questions correct — that's missing only about 11 questions out of 114.
- Bronx Science / Queens Science (518): Roughly 82-85% correct, or missing about 17-20 questions.
- Brooklyn Tech (505): Roughly 78-80% correct, or missing about 22-25 questions.
- Brooklyn Latin (496): Roughly 75-78% correct, or missing about 25-28 questions.
These are estimates based on historical scaling patterns. The exact conversion changes slightly each year depending on test difficulty.
Historical Cutoff Score Trends
SHSAT cutoff scores don't stay static. Here's what we've observed over the past several years:
General Patterns
- Stuyvesant has consistently had the highest cutoff, hovering in the 548-560 range over the past five years.
- Brooklyn Latin has remained the most accessible of the eight, with cutoffs typically in the 480-500 range.
- The middle schools (Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, HSMSE, Staten Island Tech, Queens Science, American Studies) cluster in the 500-530 range, often shifting positions year to year.
- Overall, cutoff scores across all eight schools have stayed within a 480-560 band historically.
Recent Shifts
Some trends worth noting:
- HSMSE and Staten Island Tech have been creeping upward in recent years, occasionally surpassing Bronx Science in cutoff scores — likely reflecting growing awareness and strategic preference-ranking by high-scoring students.
- Brooklyn Tech, despite being the largest specialized high school by enrollment (over 6,000 students), maintains a relatively moderate cutoff because it has more seats to fill.
- Queens Science at York has seen fluctuations, sometimes matching Bronx Science, sometimes dipping slightly below.
What Makes SHSAT Cutoff Scores Change Year to Year?
Cutoffs are driven by three main factors:
1. Test Difficulty
If the SHSAT is harder in a given year, raw scores drop, and the scaling adjusts. But because cutoffs are relative (they depend on the pool of test-takers), a harder test doesn't necessarily mean lower cutoffs — it depends on how the scaling compensates.
2. Number of Test-Takers
More students taking the test generally means more competition, which can push cutoffs up. Conversely, years with lower participation (such as during the COVID-19 pandemic) saw shifts in the score distribution.
3. Preference Patterns
This is the hidden variable most people overlook. If more high-scoring students list Bronx Science as their first choice instead of Stuyvesant, Bronx Science's cutoff could rise while Stuyvesant's might drop slightly. Aggregate preference behavior across all test-takers shapes every school's cutoff.
4. Available Seats
The number of seats at each school can change based on enrollment capacity, budget decisions, and other administrative factors. More seats = lower cutoff (all else being equal).
How to Set a Realistic Target Score
Knowing the cutoffs is only useful if you translate them into an actionable study plan. Here's our recommended approach:
Aim 15-25 Points Above the Cutoff
Cutoff scores fluctuate. If Bronx Science's cutoff was 518 this year, it could be 525 next year. Build a safety margin into your target. If your dream school's cutoff is 518, aim for at least 535-540.
Be Honest About Your Starting Point
Take a full-length diagnostic practice test before setting goals. If you're currently scoring 480 and targeting Stuyvesant (556), you need a 76-point improvement. That's achievable — but it requires serious, sustained preparation over months, not weeks.
Use This Target Score Framework
| Your Dream School | Recent Cutoff | Your Target Score | Estimated % Correct Needed | |-------------------|--------------|-------------------|---------------------------| | Stuyvesant | 556 | 570+ | ~92% | | HSMSE at CCNY | 526 | 545+ | ~87% | | Staten Island Tech | 527 | 545+ | ~87% | | Bronx Science | 518 | 535+ | ~85% | | Queens Science | 518 | 535+ | ~85% | | Brooklyn Tech | 505 | 520+ | ~82% | | American Studies | 504 | 520+ | ~82% | | Brooklyn Latin | 496 | 515+ | ~80% |
Don't Neglect Either Section
A common mistake is being strong in math but weak in ELA (or vice versa). The SHSAT composite score combines both sections, and the scaling can weight them differently. A student scoring in the 90th percentile in math but the 50th percentile in ELA will have a significantly lower composite than a student scoring in the 75th percentile in both.
Balance is key. Identify your weaker section and dedicate proportionally more study time to it.
Estimated Raw Scores Needed for Each School
While the exact SHSAT scoring formula isn't public, we can provide reasonable estimates based on historical data and score distributions. On a 114-question test:
| School | Estimated Questions Correct (out of 114) | Estimated % Correct | |--------|------------------------------------------|-------------------| | Stuyvesant | ~103+ | ~90% | | HSMSE / SI Tech | ~96-98 | ~85-86% | | Bronx Science / Queens Science | ~93-96 | ~82-84% | | Brooklyn Tech / American Studies | ~89-92 | ~78-81% | | Brooklyn Latin | ~86-89 | ~75-78% |
Remember: These are approximations. The actual scaled scoring means that harder questions may be worth more than easier ones, and the ELA-to-Math weighting can shift. Use these as directional guides, not exact benchmarks.
What About the 2026 SHSAT?
The 2026 admissions cycle brings a significant change: the SHSAT is transitioning to a digital, computer-adaptive testing (CAT) format. This means:
- The test will be taken on a computer rather than paper.
- Questions may adapt in difficulty based on your performance.
- The scoring and scaling may change, which could affect cutoff score ranges.
While the DOE hasn't released full details on how this will impact cutoff scores, the fundamental principle remains the same: students are ranked by score and matched to schools by preference order. Your best strategy is still to score as high as possible.
We'll update this guide as more information about the 2026 format becomes available.
How to Maximize Your SHSAT Score
Understanding cutoff scores is step one. Reaching them is the real work. Here's where to focus:
- Start early. Students who prepare for 3-6 months consistently outperform those who cram in the final weeks.
- Practice with realistic questions. Generic test prep won't cut it — you need SHSAT-specific practice that mirrors the actual test format and difficulty.
- Track your progress. Take regular practice tests and monitor your scores over time. Are you improving? Where are you plateauing?
- Focus on high-impact areas. In math, algebra and geometry are heavily tested. In ELA, reading comprehension and revising/editing carry the most weight.
Start Preparing Today
Cutoff scores tell you where the bar is. Now it's time to clear it.
Practice with 1,900+ SHSAT questions on SHS Prep — our platform gives you realistic, SHSAT-aligned practice across every topic and question type. Track your scores, identify weak spots, and build toward your target score with confidence.
Whether you're aiming for Stuyvesant or Brooklyn Latin, consistent, focused practice is the single best predictor of success on test day.
