What Score Do You Need to Get Into Brooklyn Latin in 2026?
Based on the most recent 2025 admissions cycle, the Brooklyn Latin School had a cutoff of 496 composite SHSAT score. Brooklyn Latin has the lowest cutoff of the eight specialized high schools, but the lowest cutoff does not mean the easiest school. For the 2026 cycle, plan to score in the 506 to 516 range to be safely above the cutoff.
This guide covers what 496 means in raw score terms, how the cutoff has moved over the past six years, and what makes Brooklyn Latin the most unique specialized high school in New York City.
The Short Answer
- 2025 cutoff: 496 composite
- 2026 target range: 506 to 516 (10 to 20 points above last year's cutoff)
- What 496 means in practice: approximately 75 to 78% of the 114 scored questions correct
- Offers in 2025: 350 out of 25,933 testers
- Approximate seats: ~215
- SHSAT format in 2026: computer-adaptive (CAT)
If you are currently scoring in the mid 400s in practice tests, Brooklyn Latin is a realistic target. The 496 cutoff is the most accessible of the eight specialized high schools, and the school admits enough students (350 offers in 2025) that the odds are meaningfully better than at the smaller schools.
2025 Cutoff at a Glance
| Metric | Brooklyn Latin 2025 |
|---|---|
| Composite cutoff | 496 |
| Offers extended | 350 |
| Approximate seats | ~215 |
| Raw questions correct (estimated) | ~86 to 89 of 114 |
| Estimated accuracy needed | ~75 to 78% |
For context on where 496 sits, here is the 2025 cutoff for all eight specialized high schools:
| School | 2025 Cutoff |
|---|---|
| Stuyvesant | 556 |
| Staten Island Tech | 527 |
| HSMSE at CCNY | 526 |
| Bronx Science | 518 |
| Queens Science at York | 518 |
| Brooklyn Tech | 505 |
| American Studies at Lehman | 504 |
| Brooklyn Latin | 496 |
See our complete 2026 SHSAT cutoff analysis for the full picture.
How Brooklyn Latin's Cutoff Has Moved (2020 to 2025)
Brooklyn Latin's cutoff has been the most volatile of the four specialized high schools we have multi-year data for. The cutoff has bounced between 481 and 497 over the past six years, a 16-point swing. Here is the year-by-year picture:
| Year | Brooklyn Latin Cutoff |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 494 |
| 2021 | 481 |
| 2022 | 497 |
| 2023 | 493 |
| 2024 | 492 |
| 2025 | 496 |
The 2021 dip to 481 is the COVID year. The cutoff has otherwise stayed in a 481 to 497 band, and 2025's 496 reading is at the high end of that range. The volatility is real and worth planning around.
The practical takeaway: aim for at least 515 to give yourself a meaningful margin against the kind of year-to-year fluctuation we have seen in the past. A 496 target is the floor, not the plan.
What "Competitive" Means for Brooklyn Latin
Cutoffs are floors. The student who scores exactly 496 in 2026 has qualified, but they have not built in any margin. Brooklyn Latin's history of 5 to 10 point year-to-year swings means a 496 score is more vulnerable than the same score would be at Brooklyn Tech.
Our recommended targeting framework for 2026:
- Bare minimum to qualify: 496 (last year's cutoff)
- Comfortable competitive score: 506 to 515 (10 to 19 points above)
- Comfortable with safety margin: 525+ (20+ points above)
If you are currently scoring in the high 400s in practice tests, hitting 515 requires a 15 to 20 point improvement. That is achievable in 3 to 6 months of focused prep.
How SHSAT Scoring Actually Works
The composite score the DOE reports is the sum of two scaled section scores: ELA and Math. Here is the path from your answer sheet to 496:
- Raw score. Count of correct answers per section (out of 57). Wrong and blank answers both count as zero, so answer every question.
- Scaled score. The DOE applies a nonlinear transformation per section. The curve is steeper in the middle and flatter at the extremes, so a few extra correct questions in the middle of the range move you several points.
- Composite score. Scaled ELA plus scaled Math. The maximum is around 700.
At the 496 level, the scaling curve is in its steeper middle range, which means a few additional correct questions can move you up faster than they would at the very top. Our SHSAT scoring strategy guide walks through the math.
For Fall 2026, the test becomes computer-adaptive. The DOE has said scores will remain comparable to prior years. See our 2026 adaptive test guide for what is changing.
Estimated Raw Score for 496
The SHSAT scoring formula is not public, but based on historical scaling patterns, a 496 composite typically requires:
- Around 86 to 89 correct out of 114 scored questions, or roughly 75 to 78% accuracy
- Balanced performance between ELA and Math is the most reliable path
These are estimates, not guarantees. The conversion shifts slightly year to year, and 10 of the 114 questions are unscored field-test items. Treat every question as if it counts.
What Makes Brooklyn Latin Different
Brooklyn Latin is the most unique of the eight specialized high schools, and the most misunderstood. It is the only specialized high school that offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Every student completes the full IB Diploma, which includes extended essays, community service, oral examinations, and a globally recognized credential that translates well to international university applications.
The lowest cutoff score does not mean it is the easiest school. The IB curriculum is extraordinarily demanding in its own way. While other specialized high schools emphasize STEM, Brooklyn Latin requires breadth: sciences, humanities, languages, and arts. Students study Latin for all four years, and the school uses Socratic Seminars as its primary instructional method. There is a dress code.
The school is small (350 offers in 2025, compared to Brooklyn Tech's 1,403), which creates a tight-knit community where teachers know every student by name. Students and families consistently describe a supportive atmosphere that is genuinely different from the more pressure-cooker environments at Stuyvesant or Bronx Science.
The 2025 admit profile was 128 Asian, 116 White, 45 Hispanic, 43 multiracial, and 18 Black students. The school's diversity in absolute numbers is solid given its small size.
Despite the lowest cutoff, Brooklyn Latin has "surged in rate-based rankings" for elite college placement, according to several independent analyses. The small size and personalized college counseling are major drivers, but the IB diploma is itself a meaningful signal to admissions officers at selective universities.
For students considering other schools, see our guides for Brooklyn Tech, American Studies, and Stuyvesant.
How to Actually Hit 506+ in 2026
If you want to score 506 to 516 and get into Brooklyn Latin, the work starts now. The Fall 2026 SHSAT is in late October or early November, which gives you a real prep window if you begin between March and June 2026. Here is what a serious 12-week plan looks like, modeled on our SHSAT study plan guide.
A Sample 12-Week Weekly Plan
This is the structure that consistently produces 20 to 40 point score improvements. Adapt it to your starting point: a 3-month timeline is fine if you are already in the high 400s; a 6-month timeline is safer if you are starting in the low 400s.
| Day | Focus | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Math practice (weakest subtopic) | 60-90 min |
| Tuesday | ELA: reading comprehension passages | 60-90 min |
| Wednesday | Math practice (second weakest subtopic) | 60-90 min |
| Thursday | ELA: revising/editing + grammar | 60-90 min |
| Friday | Mixed review or digital question types | 45-60 min |
| Saturday | Full mock exam under timed conditions | 2.5-3 hours |
| Sunday | Review every wrong answer from the week | 45-60 min |
Difficulty progression: start with medium-difficulty questions for the first 4 weeks, shift to hard for weeks 5 to 8, then take one full mock exam every Saturday in weeks 9 to 12. You should be scoring 80%+ on medium-difficulty questions across all subtopics by week 6.
Start Prepping Now
The fastest way to fall behind on the SHSAT is to wait until September. Students who begin in March or April arrive at the November test with content mastery, test-day stamina, and digital-format fluency. Students who start in September arrive anxious and underprepared. The 6-month head start is the single biggest predictor of score improvement.
For the full week-by-week schedules (3-month, 6-month, and 12-month timelines), see our SHSAT study plan guide. It includes monthly milestones, mock exam protocol, and a difficulty-progression chart.
What SHSPrep Gives You
To hit the 506+ range for Brooklyn Latin, you need practice that mirrors the real test. SHSPrep is built for exactly this:
- 3,100+ SHSAT-aligned practice questions across 42 subtopics (22 math, 20 ELA), calibrated to the actual digital format
- 10 full-length mock exams with the 12 digital question types built in, including drag-and-drop, multi-select, and grid-in
- Adaptive practice that matches the new Fall 2026 computer-adaptive format, so you build the no-going-back discipline the real test demands
- Per-subtopic progress tracking that shows exactly where you are strong, where you are losing points, and what to focus on next
Start with a free mock exam on SHSPrep to see where you stand today. Most students are surprised by how much room there is to improve in just the first 4 to 6 weeks of focused practice.
Keep Reading
- SHSAT Study Plan: Week-by-Week for 3, 6, 12 Months
- What Score Do You Need to Get Into Brooklyn Tech?
- 2026 SHSAT Cutoff Scores for Every Specialized High School
- Specialized High Schools Comparison Guide
Ready to start practicing? Try SHSPrep free: 3,100+ practice questions, 10 mock exams, and detailed analytics.
For the quick-reference version (cutoff, seats, what the school is known for), see the Brooklyn Latin school profile.
