Stuyvesant High School Offers Just 4 Percent Of Its Seats To Black and Latino Students

TRIBECA, NY — Tribeca's elite Stuyvesant High School offered a small minority of its seats to black and Latino eight graders for next year's freshman class, data released by the city on Wednesday shows.

For next year, just about 4 percent of Stuyvesant's seats were offered to black and Latino kids, mirroring a disparity at all of the city's specialized high schools. The data, first reported by Chalkbeat New York, reveals how little progress has been made in giving black and Latino students access to the city's most competitive schools. In total, eight of these schools, including Stuyvesant, offered just 10 percent of their seats to black or Latino students. About 70 percent of New York City's population is black or Latino. These eight schools determine admission via the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test. A ninth specialized high school determines admission based on interviews and auditions.

Stuyvesant's offers this year show a small improvement from last year: In 2016, just 9 black and 14 Latino eight graders were offered spots. This year, 13 black and 28 Latino students were given offers, of 926 total spots in Stuyvesant's freshman class.

"While there are many promising trends this admissions cycle ... it’s clear there is much more work to do," Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña said in a statement. "Ultimately, the focus has to be – and is – on ensuring equity and excellence across every public school in New York City."

This post will be updated.

Lead image via Shutterstock.