‘Abysmal’ lack of diversity persists at Queens’ specialized high school

SHSAT supporters rallied outside Queens Borough Hall in April 2019. Eagle file photo by Angel Torres

By David Brand

Severe racial and ethnic disparities persist among eighth-graders offered admission to the lone specialized high school in Queens, the city’s most diverse borough, according to a demographic breakdown reported by the Department of Education Thursday.

Asian students account for 80 percent of eighth-graders offered admission to Queens High School for the Sciences at York College — 116 of 145 total students, the DOE reported. Only six students offered admission to the school are Latino, eight are black and eight are white. Another six students are listed as “unknown” race and ethnicity and one identified as Native American; none are identified as “multi-racial,” according to the demographic report.

Queens High School for the Sciences is the smallest of the eight elite high schools in New York City where admission is solely dependent on a single exam known as the Standardized High School Admissions Test, or SHSAT. Roughly 27,800 eighth-graders took the test this year, according to the DOE. A ninth specialized high school, Fiorello H. Laguardia, is a performing arts school that admits students based on their auditions.

Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza congratulated the 4,265 students who were accepted to the elite high school, but acknowledged the lack of progress on fostering diversity in the schools. Carranza and Mayor Bill de Blasio have proposed eliminating the SHSAT as the sole criteria for determining admission, a proposal that has met fierce resistance among parents and lawmakers, especially in Asian communities..

“Diversity in our specialized high schools remains stagnant, because we know a single test does not capture our students’ full potential,” Carranza said in a statement. “I am hopeful we’ll move towards a more equitable system next year.”

Last year, 114 Asian students, ten Latino students, seven white students, four black students and ten Latino students were offered admission to the school, the DOE reported.

The deep disparities at the Queens school this year outpace the overall rates of admission at the nine schools. Asian students account for 54 percent of eighth-graders offered acceptance to the nine specialized high schools. White students account for about 25 percent, Latino students account for 6.6 percent and black students account for 4.5 percent of children offered admission to the schools citywide. 

Black and Latino students account for roughly two-thirds of all New York City public school students, but roughly 11 percent of eighth-graders offered admission to the nine elite schools. 

The city will fill another 800 specialized high school seats — 20 percent of the overall total at the eight test-based schools — with students who participate in summer enrichment courses known as Discovery. The Discovery program enables students who scored just below the admission cut-off to attend summer classes and gain entry to the specialized high schools. Discovery did not lead to significant demographic shifts last year, however. Asian and white students were the primary beneficiaries of the program.

Southeast Queens Councilmember Adrienne Adams, an opponent of the single-test admission method, said the stark racial and ethnic disparities in this year’s admissions results underscore the need for “dramatic reform.”

“The abysmal number of Specialized High School admissions offers to black and brown students is not just disappointing but tragic," Adams said. “Academic diversity​ in enrollment must be addressed now. As a city we must progress and take a more holistic approach when determining access and admittance to Specialized High Schools.”

The entire New York City public school system, not just the elite schools, remains deeply segregated and hundreds of schools fail to reflect the demographics of their districts. A January report by the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, found that 41 percent of all New York City schools — 755 in total — did not reflect their districts’ demographics.

“New York City schools are still deeply segregated and lack diversity,” said CCC policy and advocacy associate Daryl Hornick-Becker at the time. “This is shown through experiences, personal testimony, and it’s shown through academic study.

Supporters of the SHSAT say the test is a scapegoat for the overall segregation in the school system.

“I don’t think it’s a problem of the test, because if you work hard and you study hard and listen to the teachers, it isn’t challenging,” Queens resident Steve Hong told the Eagle during a rally in support of the test at Queens Borough Hall last April. Hong said he hopes his 3-year-old daughter will one day have a chance to take the test. 

“Instead of cancel the test, [Mayor Bill de Blasio] should put more spending to help kids conquer the test,” Hong said.

State Sen. John Liu, an SHSAT supporter who has called a city proposal to eliminate the test “racist,” told the Eagle that the latest results are “totally unacceptable.” They are, however, a symptom of a deeper problem, he said.

“They’re woefully inadequate and point to a serious problem of equity or lack thereof,” said Liu, who attended Bronx Science, another of the specialized high schools. “The question has never been, ‘Is there a problem.’ Nearly everyone in every community agrees there’s a problem.

“The inordinate focus on the eight schools distracts from the larger problem of segregation all across the school system,” he continued. “I believe that communities of color have been short-changed on a wide scale and that the department has to do better beginning in the early grades.”

As for addressing the disparities at Queens High School for the Sciences, Liu suggested that the mayor could “unilaterally” change the admissions process there. “But the mayor fails to do that,” he said. 

When asked whether he would run for mayor, Liu abruptly ended the conversation. A spokesperson said the call ended because of a lost signal. Liu declined to call back.

Correction: A previous version of this article said State Sen. John Liu organized the April 2019 rally at Queens Borough Hall.