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United States · Admissions test

The Discovery program: a summer route after the SHSAT

The Discovery program lets some Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) takers who score within a certain range below the cutoffs still start at a testing Specialized High School, by completing a summer program at that school. Invitations to the Discovery program come with SHSAT results, and go only to students from high-poverty schools or areas who are also certified as disadvantaged.

  • 495Score that ruled out Discovery in 2026
  • 60%School Economic Need Index needed
  • About 3 to 5 weeksLength of the summer programs
Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Who is eligible for the Discovery program after the SHSAT?

You need both of these:

  • A high-poverty school or area. Public and charter school students need a school with an Economic Need Index (ENI) of 60% or higher. Private, parochial and homeschooled students need to live in a census tract where at least 60% of families live below the poverty line.
  • Certification as disadvantaged, by meeting at least one of these: your family gets welfare or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from the Human Resources Administration; you’re in foster care, a ward of the state or in temporary housing; you’re an English Language Learner, or were one in the last two school years, and first enrolled in an NYC public school within the last four years; or your family’s income is at or below the reduced-price lunch threshold.

For summer 2026, any student who scored 495 or above wasn’t eligible.

How Discovery program invitations work

There’s no application without an invitation. In March 2026, eligible students found Discovery information in the SHSAT results section of their offer letter, and they sent a Discovery program application to their school counselor by April 2, 2026. Students are only considered for Discovery at the schools they listed when they registered for the SHSAT, and can’t switch to another school’s program.

Summer 2026 Discovery programs

SchoolDatesTo complete it
Brooklyn Technical High SchoolJuly 6 to August 6, Monday to Thursday90% attendance, proficiency in all courses, teacher recommendation
The Bronx High School of ScienceJuly 1 to July 31, Monday to Friday90% attendance, 90% of assignments completed
The Brooklyn Latin SchoolJuly 13 to August 13, Monday to Thursday90% attendance, 80% in all classes, participation, recommendation
High School of American Studies at Lehman CollegeJuly 6 to July 29, Monday to Thursday90% attendance, 90% of assignments completed
High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at City CollegeJuly 1 to August 6, Monday to Friday90% attendance, 90% of assignments completed
Queens High School for the Sciences at York CollegeJune 29 to July 23, Monday to FridayProficiency in English and math, daily homework
Staten Island Technical High SchoolJuly 1 to July 30, Monday to Thursday90% attendance, 90% of assignments completed
Stuyvesant High SchoolJuly 6 to July 30, Monday to Thursday90% attendance, 90% of assignments completed

New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) posts each summer’s programs on its Discovery page. The 2026 table is the latest there; look again in spring 2027 for summer 2027.

Discovery in state law

New York’s Education Law, section 2590-h, lets the Specialized High Schools keep a discovery program. The eligibility rules above are NYCPS’s.

Sources: NYC Public Schools · New York State Senate and 1 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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