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Bronx High School of Science
A research-science tradition with eight Nobel laureates among its alumni.
Where it is
Bedford Park, the Bronx — its own campus near the Jerome Park Reservoir, a short walk from Lehman College.
How big it is
About 3,000 students — the other giant, with the breadth of programme that number buys.
Bronx Science's identity is research. Eight Nobel Prize winners came through its doors — more than most countries — and the modern school still runs on that engine: original research programmes, science competitions treated as a varsity sport, and a culture where a sophomore with a lab placement is unremarkable.
For a family choosing between the giants: the honest difference is flavour, not quality. Bronx Science leans harder into structured research tracks; the campus setting is quieter than downtown. Rank them by which environment fits the student, not by the twenty-odd points between their cutoffs.
The cutoff, with its year attached
"2026 Admissions" means the exam sat in Fall 2025 — a finished cycle, published by NYC Public Schools. The Fall 2026 exam decides 2027 Admissions, and its cutoffs do not exist yet. A cutoff is the score of the LAST student admitted — an output of one year's applicants and seats, not a pass mark anyone set.
Lowest qualifying score, 2026 Admissions (8th grade)
525
Source: NYC Public Schools, checked 2026-08-17 · NYC Public Schools ↗ · How cutoffs actually work →
How a seat here is actually won
- One exam, nothing else. No grades, essays, interviews or attendance records — admission to this school is decided by the SHSAT alone, for 8th graders and first-time 9th graders who live in NYC.
- Rank by real preference. Offers walk down the citywide score list, each student getting the highest school on their OWN ranked list with a seat left — putting this school lower 'to be safe' can only cost you a seat you would have won.
- Registration closes weeks before the test and is not automatic. The dates, and the three ways to register, are on the test-date page.
Registration deadline and dates →Sit a free full-length practice test →
The official Fall 2026 SHSAT will be computer-adaptive. SHSATus currently provides fixed-form digital practice based on DOE-published content areas and question types. It does not reproduce the DOE's adaptive item-selection or scoring algorithm.
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