The Specialized High Schools
Eight NYC public high schools admit students by SHSAT score alone. Offers go to the highest scorers who ranked each school, so the cutoff is simply the score of the last student admitted; it moves every year.
Cutoffs below are the most recent published figures (2025 admissions cycle). Full analysis in our cutoff-scores guide.
Manhattan
Stuyvesant High School
The most selective of the specialized high schools, with the highest SHSAT cutoff every year. Known for exceptional math and science programs and a long list of notable alumni.
Cutoff 556 · ~750 seatsBronx
The Bronx High School of Science
A research powerhouse with eight Nobel laureates among its alumni, more than any other secondary school in the world. Strong across the sciences and social sciences.
Cutoff 518 · ~750 seatsBrooklyn
Brooklyn Technical High School
The largest specialized high school, with an engineering-focused major system: students choose from majors like aerospace, architecture, biological sciences, and software engineering.
Cutoff 505 · ~1,500 seatsStaten Island
Staten Island Technical High School
A small, tight-knit school with one of the highest graduation and college-readiness rates in the city. Strong in engineering, humanities, and Russian language study.
Cutoff 527 · ~330 seatsManhattan
High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at City College
A very small school on the City College campus where students take college courses early. German language program and strong engineering pathways.
Cutoff 526 · ~130 seatsBronx
High School of American Studies at Lehman College
The humanities specialist among the specialized schools: American history seminars, college courses at Lehman, and one of the smallest student bodies in the group.
Cutoff 504 · ~120 seatsBrooklyn
The Brooklyn Latin School
A classical education model: Latin for all students, Socratic seminars, declamation, and the full International Baccalaureate diploma programme.
Cutoff 496 · ~125 seatsQueens
Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
A small, science-focused school on the York College campus with strong biology and chemistry sequences and access to college facilities and courses.
Cutoff 518 · ~105 seatsOne test decides all eight
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