Yesterday, New York City Specialized High Schools offered admission to nearly 4,800 students. Despite making up nearly 70 percent of the New York City public school system, Black and Latinx students comprised just over 10 percent of those admitted to the elite schools. The magnitude of the racial disparities is on display at Stuyvesant High School – one of eight Specialized High Schools in New York City – where Black students received only seven of the 895 offers of admission.
Rachel Kleinman, Senior Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), released the following statement:
“The dismal admissions statistics highlight the enormity of education inequity at New York City’s top high schools, an unacceptable problem that community groups have been objecting to for years, and one that appears to be worsening. These elite schools offer life-changing opportunities that should be available to qualified students of all races and economic backgrounds. It’s clear that the barriers to entry that keep talented Black and Latinx students out must be dismantled, and yet the City is being challenged over its modest efforts to begin that process. Expanding diversity at these schools benefits all students, and the City should be encouraged to do more to address acute racial disparities, not less.”
Press:
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Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization and has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF.
