In order to keep a hold on a somewhat complex system, New York operates a high school admissions system for all of its public high schools. This system seems quite complex, but mostly has many moving parts. In this article we’re going to demystify this system, and let you know how applications to New York high schools actually work, and how you can get into the school you want to. The high school you attend has a major impact on your chances of college admissions, along with forming the core of your experiences for four years. Let’s get started!

The Basics of High School Enrollment: What and Who

The first thing to cover is who exactly this matters for. While any student living in New York is entitled to attend a public school in the city, competitive admissions is only open to students who are 8th graders currently living in the city. If you move to New York after this point, you will not be eligible to enroll in any of the competitive admissions schools. 

You can apply to transfer between schools beyond the one you are zoned for, but this requires a significant reason; simply wanting to attend a different school is not sufficient. The most commonly accepted reason is fear of or reaction to violence. This must be substantiated with reports from the school. 

For students in New York, there are three pathways to attending a high school. These are not mutually exclusive:

• The High School Application. This is how you apply to most public high schools in the city, including specialized ones. You fill out the application, and rank up to twelve schools you want to be considered for. Some of these programs are competitive, considering your academic record or requiring an audition.
• Selective Enrollment Schools. These eight high schools use the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) for admissions, and nothing else. You are accepted or rejected solely based on your performance on this test. These eight schools are the most academically competitive and advanced in New York. 
• LaGuardia. This is the ninth selective enrollment school, but has its own application coupled with an audition process. This is specifically an arts high school, and meant for students interested in pursuing art seriously. 

Charter schools have , which we won’t go into here. This can vary based on charter school.

How the Application Works

We will focus on the main group of high schools, since this is the larger and more complicated group. You apply to all of these through a single application, which is accessed through your school account. Different programs can have different eligibility options or priorities; such as only accepting students from a specific borough. 

All of these high schools offer a broad liberal arts based curriculum, but many also specialize in one or more areas. If you are looking to specialize in a specific field even before college, you can likely find a high school which will support that. Look through your school options, and their eligibility requirements, carefully to decide on the twelve you will apply to. 

Your application is evaluated based on four factors: 

• The programs you applied to and their order. You rank high schools in your order of interest in them, and you are considered for admission to them in that order.
• Seat availability. A high school can only take so many students, and once it’s full, later applications are automatically rejected.
• Special priorities. Different programs have different priority groups, and applicants are considered by order of priority group. You can be in different priority groups for different programs. 
• Admissions method. Some programs are random, using a lottery to decide admissions, while others are selective, based on factors within your application.

Screened Admissions

We will focus on this last group, as these are the most competitive schools for admissions in this category, and the most popular with students. divide students into admissions groups based on their grades in core courses in seventh grade. These are English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Your average grades in these must fall within a certain percentage either citywide or within your school to qualify for a certain admissions group. 

There are four groups, with the following cutoffs:

• Group 1: Top 15%, average grades of 94
• Group 2: Top 30%, average grades of 89.66
• Group 3: Top 50%, average grades of 82.75
• Group 4: Top 70%, average grades of 76.33

Note that students with average grades below 90 will not be included in group 1, even if their grades are in the top 15% of their school generally. If there are more applicants in group 1 than there are seats in the program, then students from group 1 will be randomly selected until all seats are filled. Only if all students from group 1 can be accommodated will group 2 students be considered.

A small number of screened schools use an assessment in addition to or in place of this grouping when making admissions decisions. A complete list of these schools can be found .

What is the SHSAT?

The (SHSAT) is a test used by a small number of specialized schools in New York. These eight schools are the most selective and academically competitive high schools in New York, and were established based on the idea that advanced students also count as a special needs group, and their needs aren’t being met if they don’t have the chance to experience an advanced curriculum. 

These eight schools rely on this test alone to make admissions decisions. These schools are not part of the admissions list you submit otherwise for high school admissions; they examine and admit applicants based on their test score and how they ranked the eight schools on their personal lists until all seats are filled. 

There is an additional to help students who scored within a certain range, but who didn’t quite make the cutoff, find a path to attend one of these specialized high schools. This was started to counter claims that the enrollment process is discriminatory, and to increase the level of diversity found in these specialized schools.

The SHSAT’s Format and Questions

The SHSAT is administered each fall. The test is given in=person, at testing centers throughout the five boroughs. All of the testing centers are high schools. There is no digital version of the test. 

The test has two sections, and lasts for 180 minutes (3 hours). While it is suggested that students spend roughly half of their time on each section, they are free to proceed through the test as they wish. If the student has an IEP or other diagnosed medical condition, they can receive extra time to complete the test, up to another 180 minutes. 

The first section is language, and covers grammar and reading comprehension. It has 57 multiple choice questions.

• 9-11 on editing and revising
• 5-6 total fiction and nonfiction passages (2-3 each) with 46-48 questions on them

The second section is math. It has 52 multiple choice questions, and five grid-in questions. You are not permitted to use a calculator on this test. The following topics are included in the math section: factoring, algebra, substitution, geometry, graphing, logic, word problems, 3D geometry. 

There is no penalty for raw answers. Your raw score on the exam is converted to a scaled score; the formula for this is kept secret by the Department of Education. The scaled score is an integer between 20 and 350; you receive one of these scores for each section, for an overall score between 40 and 700. For context, here are the lowest qualifying scores for each of the specialized high schools for last year’s round of admissions. Note that these scores change every year, but give a ballpark or the minimum needed to gain acceptance: 

There is an ongoing debate over the fairness of the test and the admissions policies, as Asian American students tend to be overrepresented at these schools, while Black and Hispanic students are often underrepresented. Complaints from both sides have been filed, and investigations and debates over changing admissions policies are ongoing. For now though, the test stands as the only factor in admissions for these eight schools. 

If you are looking for help preparing for the SHSAT, from mastering the content covered, to advanced test taking strategies, to learning how to handle test anxiety, contact łÔąĎąŮÍř testing professionals today. We have experience preparing students for all kinds of tests, and can help you maximize your chances of success on the highly competitive SHSAT.

Audition Based Admissions

Finally, there is a class of schools which use as their main criteria for admissions. While these are all called auditions, the studio art programs actually require a portfolio submission. All of these may be uploaded virtually, some schools also offer an in-person audition for some artistic disciplines. 

Note that all schools requiring auditions have the same requirements and expectations, so audition materials created for one school can be used to apply to multiple different programs. For most audition schools, the only factor used in determining acceptance is your audition materials. LaGuardia is an exception here; they also check your grades to make sure you meet their minimum requirement of 65 in each core academic subject. 

These are the audition components by discipline. Note that not every school offers each artistic discipline. More detail about exact requirements can be found on the :

• Architecture: Portfolio of 6-8 original pieces of art
• Business Marketing: Portfolio of a 200 word essay on your favorite store to shop at, and a visual advertisement for the store.
• Dance: 2 recorded solos, one copying a prerecorded dance from the available styles, and one original composition
• Digital Arts and Graphic Design: Portfolio of 4-8 pieces of original artwork
• Fashion: Portfolio of 4-8 pieces of original artwork
• Film: A portfolio consisting of an story of up to 500 words on one of several provided photographs, a 9 frame storyboard on a scene from your imagination, and a 3 minute video introduction explaining yourself and your storyboard
• Instrumental Music: Two audition videos, one of a piece of your choice at your skill level, and one of scales
• Photography: A portfolio of up to five original photographs, and a short video of up to 3 minutes explaining 3 of these photographs (this may be substituted for an artistic statement of up to 500 words)
• Technical theatre: This is a portfolio submission requiring an engineering task and a scenic design task. You must also submit an artistic explanation of the scenic design task, and an introduction of your interest in technical theatre
• Theatre: A video audition of two contrasting minute long monologues. A third musical theatre audition of a minute long song may be included for students interested in musical theatre programs
• Visual Arts: A portfolio of 4-8 pieces of original artwork, and a video introduction of up to 3 minutes where you explore 3 of these pieces. You may instead do a written explanation of up to 500 words
• Vocal music: An audition video of one song of your choice without accompaniment

Note that callbacks may be issued for some of these auditions, if schools want additional material from you or to see additional aspects of your abilities. Getting a callback, or not, has no bearing on whether or not you will be offered admissions; not all schools nor artistics disciplines make use of callbacks. We are including this because they do happen on occasion, and don’t want you to be alarmed if you are contacted for one.

Final Thoughts

New York is a large and vibrant city, and is host to some of the best high schools in the country. Its top public high schools offer students amazing resources and opportunities, equalling or exceeding what is offered at some private schools. Less well resourced high schools exist however, and there is disparity in services and results between the best high schools in New York and the worst. We hope this article has given you insight into how the high school transition process works for public school students in New York, and why it’s so competitive. 

High school is an important time in any student’s life, both allowing them to further and explore their academic and other interests, and preparing them for college. A great high school massively increases a student’s chances of enrolling in a top college, while a poor one may not be able to prepare them sufficiently. If you want expert advice on navigating the high school transition, and making sure you make the most of your time in high school, schedule a free consultation today. With a depth of experience operating in New York, we know exactly what steps to take to help you achieve your academic goals.

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There are a number of free, high-performing, specialized public schools in New York that are extremely difficult to get into; many of the best ones have acceptance rates below 10%. Admission to most of them is based solely on a single test called the Specialized High Schools Admission Test (SHSAT), which is taken by 8th and 9th graders and offered in the fall. All students are ranked by their composite score on the SHSAT, and then one by one they’re each assigned to the top school on their list that still has openings until all vacancies are filled. Many of these schools are STEM-focused, but others excel at liberal arts or creative arts. Each year, approximately 25,000 8th graders from New York take the SHSAT, but only about 5,000 of them (20%) are admitted to a specialty high school. These specialty schools are similar to magnet schools in that they offer advanced curriculums and attract students from a wide variety of surrounding neighborhoods, but magnet schools have other ways of filling their seats, including conducting student interviews and even resorting to lottery systems. 

Pros and Cons

The upside of these schools is that they provide a rigorous academic program, specialty courses and opportunities you wouldn’t find anywhere else, a collection of highly motivated students, fewer “problem” students that plague public schools, and excellent placement at top universities… all for free. The downside to these schools is that because of the strict nature of their admissions (based purely on a single test score), they tend to be sorely lacking in ethnic diversity, at least by New York City standards. Most schools skew heavily Asian (65-85%), and have relatively few Hispanic or Black students. They do, however, feature considerable economic diversity, and roughly 50% of students come from low-income homes. Because these are public schools in a cash-strapped city, many of them lack proper funding for basics like extracurricular clubs, sports teams, and school facilities. And depending on where you live, you might have to commute over an hour. 

Here are some of the top-ranked specialty public high schools…

#1: (Jamaica, NY)

“Queens” is arguably the top-performing public school in New York – with an average SAT of 1440 and an average ACT of 31 – but it’s not for everyone. It’s a very small, science-focused high school with only 500 students that takes up one “cramped” floor of a building on the campus of York College, a City University of New York (CUNY) school. Students occasionally have access to the resources at York College, including science and computer labs, theater, gym, and pool. Many students conduct scientific research with York College professors. The school is 95% minority (85% Asian), and 65% of students come from low-income households. It’s also about 60% female, 40% male. Unfortunately, there aren’t many opportunities to play sports. Some students and parents complain about chronic budget cuts, high teacher turnover rates, and poor facilities. In some regards, Queens offers a stellar STEM curriculum, but not much else. 

#2: (NY, NY)

“Stuy” is a very large and highly competitive public high school with 3,500 students located in a beautiful, 10-story building with large windows that faces the Hudson River in downtown Manhattan. Of the approximately 25,000 8th graders who take the SHSAT each year, only about 850 are admitted to Stuy, for an acceptance rate of about 3%. The school is renowned for its academics; the average SAT is 1500, and the average ACT is 33. Stuy offers plenty of AP courses, but they’re reserved for the students with the highest GPAs, so you may not always get the courses you want. Stuy offers a wide variety of extracurricular clubs and sports teams, and there’s even an Olympic-sized pool. The culture is known for being “fast-paced,” “hyper-competitive,” “extremely rigorous,” and even “toxic.” Some students complain about the excessive workload, late-night study sessions, and pervasive stress. łÔąĎąŮÍř 70% of students are Asian, and 15% are White. Approximately 50% come from low-income households. The school also boasts a strong music program and one of the most popular events is the annual Sing! event, where the whole grade collaborates to put on a show. For a large, bustling public school, it’s remarkably “clean and quiet.” Overall, it’s an excellent school in a beautiful building, but it’s intense, stressful, and competitive. 

#3: (NY, NY)

Like Queens High School, “HSMSE” is a very small, high-performing STEM school of 550 students located on a college campus, in this case the City College of New York (CCNY) in Harlem, just North of Columbia University. Unlike most specialized schools, HSMSE is remarkably diverse; about 30% of students are White, 30% Asian, 15% Hispanic, and 10% Black. Although admission is primarily based on the SHSAT, about 20% of students are admitted through affirmative action, resulting in much more diversity. The only two languages offered are Spanish and German, and 70% of students study German. Beginning junior year, students must choose a concentration: 1) engineering, 2) math, or 3) medical research. The small cohort that’s accepted to the medical research concentration, which is run in partnership with Mount Sinai Hospital, travels regularly to the medical center to participate in laboratory and clinical internships. The average SAT is 1430, the average ACT is 32. Many classes are 90 minutes long and staggered every other day to help students avoid homework overload.

#4: (Bronx, NY)

“Bronx Science” is a large, internationally-recognized STEM school with 3,000 students. It’s frequently ranked as one of the Top five STEM schools in the nation (public or private), and is the only specialized NYC high school with its own campus, which is about a 30-minute subway ride from midtown Manhattan. Bronx Science has counted 132 finalists in the , the largest number of any high school, and has produced the most in science of any secondary school in the world. Many students exhaust the extensive AP curriculum, so Bronx Science offers several “post-AP” classes like genetics, multivariable calculus, and organic chemistry. Because of the school’s large size, it offers smaller seminar classes after school called “small group instruction” (SGI) so students can review material and get to know their teachers in a more personalized setting. The average SAT is 1460, and the average ACT is 33. Students and parents laud the “extraordinary academics,” “wide variety of courses,” and “first-rate extracurricular clubs,” but also bemoan the “rigorous coursework,” “hyper-competitive atmosphere” and fixation on elite college admissions. 

#5: (Staten Island, NY)

Students from Staten Island and Brooklyn may be interested in attending “SITHS,” a STEM-focused magnet school located on Staten Island (the commute is too far from Manhattan). SITHS is a mid-sized high school with 1,400 students, and it occupies 3 stories of a building. The school is unlike other schools in several regards. First, Russian is the only foreign language available, and it’s required of all students. Second, students take gym class every day. Third, while the school emphasizes rigorous STEM courses, there’s also a heavy emphasis on the arts, and there’s even a full-fledged TV recording studio where students can learn TV production. The school takes mental health seriously, and there’s a comfort dog named “Sheldon” who makes himself available to students. The school is 63% Asian and 30% White; 50% of students are economically disadvantaged. Work-based learning is big at SITHS, and about 50% of students participate in paid internships during the school year and over the summer. The average SAT is 1440, and the average ACT of 33. Admission to many AP classes is competitive and determined by GPA. Students describe the school as “nerdy” and “rigorous” with a “small, tight-knit, supportive community,” but also “grossly under-funded.”

#6: (Brooklyn, NY)

“TBLS” is a throwback to the first public schools in America, and is modeled after Boston Latin, the oldest public high school in the nation (and a longtime “feeder school” for Harvard). Unlike many other STEM-focused specialized schools in NY, Brooklyn Latin focuses on the humanities, and is the only specialized school in NY that has an IB curriculum (there are no AP courses). The IB curriculum is a 2-year program that emphasizes student discussion, critical thinking, interdisciplinary education, public speaking, and extensive essay writing. The school is relatively small with only 850 students, and it shares a building with two other schools (Lyons Community School and Williamsburg High School of the Arts and Technology); some clubs and sports are open to students from all three schools. True to its traditional roots, Brooklyn Latin has a dress code: white shirts, neckties, and khaki pants for boys, and white shirts and khaki pants or skirts for girls. Latin is required for all four years. The school is somewhat more diverse: 48% Asian, 20% White, 13% Black, 10% Hispanic, and 60% are economically disadvantaged. The average SAT is 1360, and the average ACT is 31. Some students complain that the school feels “cramped” and that it’s woefully “underfunded,” and also that most of the clubs are academic, so there’s not a lot of variety for extracurriculars.

#7: (New York, NY)

Special mention must also be given to LaGuardia High School, a leading public high school for the creative arts with 2,500 students, located in an 8-story building adjacent to Lincoln Center in Manhattan. The school specializes in both academics and the arts and sends graduating seniors to both prestigious universities and conservatories. It is widely regarded as one of the best-performing arts schools in the nation and was the basis for the popular movie and TV series “Fame” back in the 1980s. Notably, LaGuardia is the only specialized high school in NY not to use the SHSAT as admissions criteria; instead, applicants are judged on a combination of their academic record and an audition. Students take a regular academic course load as well as two to three hours a day of their chosen art. They choose from a variety of AP courses, and also “major” in one art including: dance, drama, art, vocals, instrument, or technical theater. The school is reportedly 70% female and has a very large LGBTQ+ population. With up to three hours of homework a night and rehearsals after school and even during school vacations, sleep deprivation is a common complaint. The school also offers a full slate of athletic teams. Famous alumni include: Jennifer Aniston, Ellen Barkin, Adrien Brody, TimothĂ©e Chalamet, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Adrian Grenier, Al Pacino, Nicki Minaj, Awkwafina, Michael Che (SNL), Paul Stanley (Kiss), Liza Minnelli. The school is extremely diverse – 36% White, 22% Asian, 16% Hispanic, 10% Black – and about a third of students are low-income.   

Top Private Schools

Competition for admission to the best private schools in New York is notoriously fierce, starting as early as kindergarten, but the top schools excel at sending students to the best universities in the country. In addition to cutting-edge facilities, private schools offer excellent teaching, small class sizes, rigorous academics, community service engagement, and even travel abroad opportunities – many things you’d never find at a public high school. Plus, you don’t have to be a resident of New York; you just have to live close enough (in say New Jersey or Connecticut) to make the daily commute. The Brearley School, for example, is an all-girls school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that sent 28 students to Harvard in the five years spanning 2017-2021. Horace Mann sends a disproportionate number of students to UChicago and Cornell, and Dalton acts as a feeder school for Cornell and Brown. It’s important to note, however, that simply attending a top private high school doesn’t guarantee you admission to an Ivy League-caliber university; you still have to excel and find a way to stand out as an academic scholar and a peer leader. Families can expect to pay upwards of $60,000 per year for tuition, though financial aid is available. 

Admissions

Unlike New York’s specialized public schools, where admissions are based solely on your SHSAT score, admissions to private schools is much more holistic. Applications typically include: 1) a preliminary letter of inquiry, 2) essay questions, 3) a school tour and student interview, 4) ISEE or SSAT scores, 5) school transcript, 6) teacher and guidance counselor recommendations, and 7) optional materials such as work samples. Many private schools are K-12, and many students start off in kindergarten and stay with the school all the way through high school graduation. Admissions is very competitive no matter when you apply, but by far the best times to apply for entry are kindergarten, 6th grade, or 9th grade. If you try to apply for other grades, they have far fewer openings available. Students generally apply during the fall term of 8th grade, and most applications are due by November or December. The acceptance rate at the top schools ranges from 10-15%. Historically, private schools have given strong preference to legacy students and students who have siblings already attending the school (to make it easier for families to navigate drop-offs.) 

The Ratings

One highly over-simplified (but still useful) metric for evaluating private high schools is to calculate how many graduating seniors matriculated at the Top 3 universities (Harvard, Princeton, and MIT) over the three-year period 2018-2020. Below is a listing of the Top 10 schools, but bear in mind that these are all excellent schools deserving of consideration. They all send a disproportionate number of graduates to elite universities every year, so ultimately the “best school” is the one that’s the best fit for you. Also, keep in mind that larger schools should, by definition, send more graduates to top universities each year. 

#1: (Bronx, NY)

Horace Mann is one of the largest private high schools in New York with 700 students, which partially accounts for why so many seniors were accepted to the Top 3 universities. Horace Mann skews heavily White and Asian: 60% White, 20% Asian, 6% Black, 4% Hispanic. The average SAT is 1437, the average ACT is 32. Admission is selective with decisions based on recent grades, an interview, and the candidate’s score on either the or. The largest point of entry is in sixth grade (the middle school), with between 50 and 55 places available each year. In the ninth grade, 40 to 45 additional students are enrolled. Tuition is $62,000. 

#2: (New York, NY)

Trinity is a top-rated Episcopal school located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with 450 students. It is often considered the best Christian school in NY, and the #2 STEM high school in NY. The average SAT is 1510, and the average ACT is 34. Trinity is renowned for the strength of its Classics program, and 40% of students study Greek or Latin. Many students start out together in the school’s kindergarten program. Students appreciate the top-notch academic curriculum, but many cite excessive stress and workload. The student breakdown is 55% White, 15% Asian, 8% Black, 8% Hispanic. Tuition is $58,000.

#3: (New York, NY) 

Dalton is a small, prestigious high school with 450 students located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, just a few blocks from Central Park. The school is famous for The Dalton Plan, a three-part customized learning program that includes “House, Assignment, and Lab” which helps each student establish a sense of community at the school, take responsibility for their own education, and engage in regular one-on-one instruction with teachers. The school is known for having incredible resources, and a wide variety of well-funded extracurricular clubs and sports teams. The school is much less diverse than some others: 61% White, 10% Asian, 11% Black, and 3% Hispanic. The average SAT is 1460, the average ACT is 33. Tuition is $62,000.

#4: (New York, NY) 

Brearley is a very small, all-girls high school with 250 students located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and is consistently ranked as one of the top schools in the nation for helping its students get into Top 20 universities. It sends a disproportionate number of graduates to Harvard each year, though far fewer to other top universities like Yale, Columbia, and UPenn. It’s frequently ranked as one of the Top 3 all-girls schools in New York alongside The Chapin School and The Spence School. In addition to rigorous academics, sports play a huge role at Brearley. The school isn’t particularly diverse: 57% White, 17% Asian, 5% Black, 4% Hispanic. The average SAT is 1500, the average ACT is 34. Tuition is $61,000.

#5: (New York, NY)

Regis is an all-boys Jesuit (Catholic) high school with 550 students located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and it’s unique in that tuition for all students is free (yes, you read that right: tuition is free for all four years). Students commute from all five boroughs (plus Westchester County and New Jersey) to attend this prestigious school, which heavily favors students from low-income families in the admissions process. As part of its Jesuit mission, the school not only prioritizes academics, but public service and community leadership as well. The school has a fairly large Hispanic population: 46% White, 24% Hispanic, 19% Asian, and 7% Black. As part of the admissions process, all applicants must submit a certificate verifying that they’ve been baptized, and it helps to get nominated from your current Catholic middle school if you attend one. Regis only accepts applications from current 8th graders seeking admission to the 9th grade. All applicants must sit for the Regis Scholarship Exam in November at Regis High School, which is a three-hour standardized test of English and math. The Regis Speech and Debate Society (the Hearn Society) is one of the best in the nation. The average SAT is 1480, the average ACT is 34. Georgetown and Boston University (both Jesuit) are far and away the most popular universities for graduating seniors, as well as Cornell, Fordham, and Notre Dame. Students reportedly commute to Regis from all five NYC boroughs, and some have commutes as long as 2 hours each way. There is a dress code. Tuition is FREE.

#6: (New York, NY) 

Collegiate is a small, secular, all-boys school with 200 high school students located in a modern 11-story building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan that features a gym and pool on the lower levels and a roof deck with a large recreation area. The school was founded in 1628 and is almost 400 years old (but has only been at its current location since 2018). All upperclassmen meet with their faculty advisor at least once a week. The average SAT is 1490, the average ACT is 34. Despite its excellent academic reputation and prestige, some students claim that Collegiate’s all-male composition fosters a climate of “toxic masculinity,” “homophobia” and “sexism,” while others feel that the school “toughens you up” in a good way for a competitive world that “doesn’t hand out participation trophies.” The school is not particularly diverse: 57% White, 16% Asian, 6% Black, 3% Hispanic. Tuition is $64,000.

#7: (Rye, NY) 

Rye Country Day is a posh private school with 400 high school students situated on a 35-acre campus in wealthy suburban Westchester County, which sits just across the Connecticut border. Each year it accepts about 35 freshmen and 5 sophomores, giving top admission priority to siblings. Overall, the school has a 20% acceptance rate. The school runs on a rotating 6-day cycle (Monday-Friday) so that students can add more electives and extracurriculars into their weekly schedule. Each year, the school accepts about a dozen upperclassmen into its Community Engagement Fellowship Program, which provides funding and support for independent community leadership projects over the summer. The school is predominantly White: 72% White, 7% Asian, 5% Black, 5% Hispanic. The average SAT is 1450, the average ACT is 33. Top choice colleges for graduating seniors include Cornell, UPenn, Brown, and Yale. Tuition is $52,000.

#8: (New York, NY) 

Spence is a storied, private all-girls school with 250 high school students located in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, just one block away from Central Park. Its alumni include everyone from actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Kerry Washington to Titanic survivor Madeleine Astor. While the school offers both standard and accelerated-level courses, they do not offer AP classes. The school is 56% White, 15% Asian, 9% Black, 5% Hispanic. The average SAT is 1500, the average ACT is 33. Tuition is $63,000.

#9: (New York, NY) 

Ramaz is a Jewish Modern Orthodox school with 250 high school students located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and offers general studies taught in English and Judaic studies taught in Hebrew. Students commute to Ramaz from all over the NYC area, including New Jersey and parts of Western Connecticut. Part of the admissions process is an in-person interview, in which candidates will be asked to compose two essays on the spot: one in English, the other in Hebrew. No AP courses are offered. The school is 95% White. The average SAT is 1490, the average ACT is 33. Tuition is $35,000.  

#10: (New York, NY) 

Chapin is another top-ranked, all-girls private school with about 250 high school students (8th-12th grade) located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Unlike most private schools, Chapin accepts a large number of new students beginning in the 8th grade, though it accepts others in the 9th and 10th grades as well. Like many leading private schools, Chapin does not offer AP courses but rather offers advanced courses of their own design. Many Chapin students participate in study abroad programs in Perth, Australia, and Athens, Greece. Chapin shares an athletic rivalry with nearby Brearley School, and the two schools share some classes, after-school programs, and even a robotics team. The most popular universities are Cornell, UChicago, UPenn, Georgetown, and Boston University. Chapin is fairly diverse: 38% White, 21% Asian, 12% Black, and 9% Hispanic. The average SAT is 1410, the average ACT is 33. Tuition is $62,000.

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