What Score Do You Need to Get Into Staten Island Tech in 2026?
Based on the most recent 2025 admissions cycle, Staten Island Technical High School's cutoff was a 527 composite SHSAT score. That makes SI Tech the third-highest cutoff of any specialized high school, sitting between HSMSE at 526 and Stuyvesant at 556. For the 2026 cycle, plan to score in the 537 to 547 range to be safely above the cutoff.
This guide covers what 527 means in raw score terms, what makes SI Tech different from the other specialized high schools, and how to put together a study plan if this is your target.
The Short Answer
- 2025 cutoff: 527 composite
- 2026 target range: 537 to 547 (10 to 20 points above last year's cutoff)
- What 527 means in practice: approximately 85 to 86% of the 114 scored questions correct
- Offers in 2025: 289 out of 25,933 testers
- Approximate seats: ~328
- SHSAT format in 2026: computer-adaptive (CAT)
If you are currently scoring in the low 500s in practice tests, SI Tech is a realistic target with disciplined prep. The 527 cutoff is in the upper-middle of the eight specialized high schools, reflecting the school's strong academic reputation and the preference-ranking behavior of high-scoring students.
2025 Cutoff at a Glance
| Metric | SI Tech 2025 |
|---|---|
| Composite cutoff | 527 |
| Offers extended | 289 |
| Approximate seats | ~328 |
| Raw questions correct (estimated) | ~96 to 98 of 114 |
| Estimated accuracy needed | ~85 to 86% |
For context on where 527 sits, here is the 2025 cutoff table 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.
What "Competitive" Means for Staten Island Tech
Cutoffs are floors. The student who scores exactly 527 in 2026 has qualified, but they have not built in any margin. Cutoffs move 3 to 10 points year to year, sometimes more.
Our recommended targeting framework for 2026:
- Bare minimum to qualify: 527 (last year's cutoff)
- Comfortable competitive score: 537 to 540 (10 to 13 points above)
- Comfortable with safety margin: 550+ (20+ points above)
For most students, hitting 540 requires a 15 to 25 point improvement from a starting point in the high 400s to low 500s. 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 527:
- 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 steeper at the top, so a few extra correct questions at higher difficulty can move you several points.
- Composite score. Scaled ELA plus scaled Math. The maximum is around 700.
The nonlinear scaling matters for SI Tech specifically because 527 sits in a range where each additional correct question moves you a meaningful number of points. 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 527
The SHSAT scoring formula is not public, but based on historical scaling patterns, a 527 composite typically requires:
- Around 96 to 98 correct out of 114 scored questions, or roughly 85 to 86% accuracy
- Balanced performance between ELA and Math is the most reliable path, though a strong one-sided performance is viable
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 Staten Island Tech Different
Staten Island Tech is the specialized high school most families know the least about. It is sometimes called the "hidden gem" of the system, ranked in the top five specialized schools for elite college placement despite the fact that it sits on the geographic edge of the city.
The school has a strong engineering and technology focus with dedicated lab facilities. Students can earn AutoCAD industry certification before they graduate, and the school has a well-developed applied technology track that goes deeper than the more theoretical STEM programs at the other specialized high schools.
The school's other signature requirement is unusual: all students complete three years of Russian. This is the only specialized high school with a mandatory foreign language sequence, and it reflects the school's Cold War era origins and continued emphasis on technical communication. For families whose students are already studying Russian, this is a fit. For families who expected French or Spanish, it is a surprise.
The 2025 admit profile is one of the most demographically concentrated of any specialized high school: 192 Asian, 78 White, 13 multiracial, 5 Hispanic, and 1 Black student. That breakdown reflects the population of Staten Island as much as it reflects school selectivity. The school is a strong option for families on the island who want a top-tier education without a long commute, and it is one of the few specialized high schools where the demographic distribution looks substantially different from the Manhattan and Brooklyn schools.
The school uses letter grades rather than numerical scores, which is a deliberate choice to reduce the pressure-cooker effect that defines Stuyvesant. For students who want strong STEM education with a slightly less intense cultural profile, SI Tech is worth serious consideration. For students considering other schools, see our guides for Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and HSMSE.
How to Actually Hit 537+ in 2026
If you want to score 537 to 547 and get into Staten Island Tech, 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 30 to 50 point score improvements. Adapt it to your starting point: a 3-month timeline is fine if you are already in the 510s; a 6-month timeline is safer if you are starting in the high 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 hard-difficulty questions in your strongest subtopics by the final month.
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 537+ range for Staten Island Tech, 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 HSMSE?
- 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 Staten Island Tech school profile.
