According to the results of the city’s admissions process for the seven specialized, elite high schools, the vast majority of those admitted were either white or asian. Only four percent of students admitted were black and six percent were hispanic, while 30 percent were asian and 35 percent were white; having said that, the ethnicity of nearly one-quarter of admitted students was not known, because they were multiracial, coming from private school or were not identified, so it may not be quite as dire as it seems. more ›

The Times has released a study focusing on the racial breakdown of students admitted into the city's high profile specialized high schools. They found white and Asian students to be offered admission at nearly five times the rate of black and Hispanics who took the test. That has led to demographics such as Stuyvesant being comprised of 67% Asians and Bronx Science of only 4% blacks. The disparities do not improve greatly even when just looking at students who came out of special test prep programs. The paper points out that diversifying the schools is hampered by a recent Supreme Court decision only allowing income to be a factor in admission's decisions as well as simply "a dearth of blacks and Hispanics taking the test." As far as why they're not taking it, the paper talks to students who suggest factors such as lack of motivation to not knowing where the admission testing sites even are. more ›