Pathways to an Elite Education: Application, Admission, and Matriculation to New York City’s Specialized High Schools

• In Event: Parental Choices

Abstract

NYC’s elite specialized high schools have a long history of offering a rigorous college preparatory education to the city’s most academically talented students. However, many argue that use of a single entrance exam rewards intense test preparation, inhibiting diversity. We examine the pipeline from middle school to matriculation, identifying factors associated with application, admission, and enrollment. We observe contemporaneous ELA and math achievement, though not entrance exam scores. Conditional on performance in these subjects, we find girls, black, and Hispanic students are less likely to receive admissions offers. Girls are less likely to apply in general, and less likely to accept an offer. We provide evidence for “feeder” school effects on this pipeline, suggesting middle schools may influence application behavior.

Authors

• Sean Patrick Corcoran, New York University

• Christine Baker-Smith, New York University