Fewer black, Hispanic students offered enrollment at elite New York City high schools this year: report

The number of African-American and Hispanic students offered admission to New York City’s elite specialized high schools is declining. 

The New York Daily News, citing enrollment data released on Monday, reported that just 506 black and Hispanic students got first-round offers from the city’s specialized schools. 

The figure reportedly represents a 4 percent drop from the previous year, when 527 black and Hispanic students received first-round offers from institutions such as the Bronx High School of Science and Brooklyn Technical High School.

{mosads}At Stuyvesant High School, just seven African-Americans were among those receiving the 895 offers that were sent out. The New York Times additionally noted that the Bronx High School of Science made just 12 offers to African-American students. 

In total, about 6 percent of the offers from New York City’s top schools were reportedly handed out to Hispanic students. Just 4 percent were offered to black students. 

The numbers contrast with the fact that black and Hispanic students make up more than 66 percent of New York City’s overall school system, according to the Daily News. 

“Until the quality of education in New York City improves, nothing is going to make a difference,” New York City Parents Union founder Mona Davids told the newspaper, adding that insufficient elementary and middle school education in the inner city is leading to these statistics. 

The Daily News reported that eight of the city’s specialized high schools used the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) as part of its admissions process. 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) has endorsed a proposal to get rid of the test as part of a push to diversify the elite high schools. The plan has yet to be put into action. 

He’s also put forth a Discovery Program, which reserves a certain number of seats for students from economically-challenged backgrounds at specialized high schools. A Department of Education spokesperson told The New York Daily News that the program would result in more black and Hispanic students receiving acceptances in the coming weeks.