How SHSAT offers work: score order and school choices
Short answer
SHSAT offers are made in score order. The highest scorer gets their first-choice school, the next gets their highest choice that still has seats, and so on until all seats at the eight schools are filled; each student gets at most one offer.
The SHSAT is the only thing that decides offers to the eight testing Specialized High Schools. Offers are made in score order, using the schools each student ranked when they registered.
The process, step by step
- Students rank schools when they register for the SHSAT. A student is considered only for the schools on that list.
- Everyone is sorted by composite score, from highest to lowest.
- The highest scorer gets their first choice.
- The next student gets their highest-ranked school that still has seats, and so on down the list.
- This continues until every seat at all eight schools is filled.
- Each student gets at most one testing-school offer.
A worked example
Imagine three students, and one school with a single seat left:
| Student | Score | First choice | Second choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Highest | School X | School Y |
| B | Second | School X | School Z |
| C | Third | School Y | School X |
Student A gets School X. Student B also wanted School X, but its last seat is gone, so B is considered for School Z next. Student C is considered for School Y. A student’s ranking matters only for schools that still have seats when their score comes up, which is why it’s worth ranking every school your child would actually attend.
After scores come out
Students who take the SHSAT in fall 2026 can sign up for a Test View in spring 2027, after scores are released. For each school’s lowest qualifying scores, see SHSAT cutoff scores on our sister site, Simple Tree.