More High Schools Adjust Admissions to Increase Student Diversity
Students from marginalized communities will have a better chance at getting into some of the New York's best public high schools with new admission criteria for the 2019-20 school year, according to the city's Department of Education.
Ten schools will give priority consideration to students who qualify for free and reduced price lunch. Most of them, including Millennium Brooklyn, Hunter Science, and Williamsburg Preparatory, will apply this standard to more than half of seats. An eleventh school, Urban Assembly Institute of Math and Science for Young Women, will hold up to 15 seats for English Language Learners.
“It’s important for me for our school to be reflective of the city,” said Isora Bailey, principal of NYC iSchool, which will now give priority to students from low-income families for up to 60 percent of seats. “In a city like New York City that has so many resources and opportunities, to limit certain kids from enjoying those opportunities is not fair.”
The 11 high schools announced on Friday are part of the city’s Diversity in Admissions initiative which, as of 2019, will have a total of 78 schools participating, most of them elementary and middle schools. Admissions criteria vary among schools, with some offering priority consideration to students in temporary housing or those who have been impacted by incarceration.
Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza praised the program’s rapid growth since its launch with just seven schools in 2016.
“Our students learn better in integrated and inclusive classrooms,” he said. “This is one part of our work to celebrate and reflect the diversity of New York City in our schools, and to deliver on our mission of equity and excellence for all students.”
The free and reduced-price lunch standard is often correlated with race, since black and Latino New Yorkers are more likely to live in poverty than people from other racial groups. Seventy percent of students in the city are black or Latino, but they are often under-represented at the best-performing public schools across the school system.
Racial disparities are especially stark at the eight specialized high schools where admission is based on a single test. In June, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan that would grant admission to more black and Latino students, but the most most sweeping of his proposed changes would require approval from state legislators.
The list of participating schools is below.
WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations
