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unforthToday, while doing some work, I had to look up Regents scores for a number of high schools throughout this city. Included on this list were all four of the best public high schools in New York City (Stuyvesant HS, Bronx Science HS, Brooklyn Technical HS, and Townsend Harris). Now, in NYC, students get a surprising degree of latitude in selecting their own high school. However, before that application process begins, nearly every 8th grader takes the SAT-style that determines admittance to the specialized HSs. There are only three of these, and the results of the test are strictly bell curved - the top 800 scorers in the entire NYC are admitted to the best of these three schools (Stuyvesant), the next 800 are admitted to Bronx Science, and then the next highest 1000 or so are admitted to Brooklyn Tech. Every other kid then goes about the application process. To the best of my knowledge, the only other high school with a test is LaGuardia, which is actually got an audition process. As a result, these three schools take the best kids, and leave the rest to other schools - but the administrators at these other schools still, in many instances, get to pick their kids, and the result is the existence of Townsend Harris, which isn't part of the test, but only admits the best of the best.
I'm a Stuyvesant graduate. I was above the bell curve by 4 points. A friend of mine in HS, Evan, went to Townsend Harris his freshman year and then transferred, and he told horror stories of how much he hated it there and how awful it was, and how Stuy was easier, and ever since then, I've wondered: Could Townsend Harris possibly be a better (more difficult, with superior students) school than Stuy?? Thus, today, as I sat with the report cards doing my job, I realized that I couldn't pass up this opportunity to, all these years later, figure out if I could vindicate my high school alma mater.
Looking at Regents test data for the 2007 - 2008 school year, I compared the achievement of students at Townsend Harris, Stuyvesant and Bronx Science. I also glanced at Brooklyn Tech, but it was immediately apparent that they weren't in the running. For those who don't live in New York, Regents tests are exams given to all high school students. There are are currently 10 Regents subject tests, plus a few different ones in foreign languages which I didn't bother looking at. In order to graduate from high school, all students in the city must pass 5 core exams (English, Global History, US History, Math A, and one Science) with a score of 55 (out of 100) or higher.
At the best high schools, every kid takes every exam they are eligible for (usually all 10, plus one or more foreign languages). Passing them all with a score of 65 or higher earns one an Advanced Regents Diploma.
After all that work...no one outside of New York really gives a damn. But it felt important at the time (I took Regents in English, Global, US History, Sequential A, B, and C (which no longer exist, the math tests are now called Math A, Math B, and Integrated Algebra), Biology (now called Living Environment), Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Spanish)
Anyway - an examination of the 10 main Regents exams was my strategy for determining which school was better. It's also worth noting that Stuyvesant has 3125 students in total, as opposed to only 1093 at Townsend Harris, and 2670 at Bronx Science.
To begin with, it didn't take long to eliminate Bronx Science from the running. Both of the other schools beat it hands down, so it's not included in the rest of the analysis - the kids did damn well, but not as well.
So! Who wins?
English: Every student at both Townsend Harris and Stuyvesant passed the English test. At Stuy, 95% of the kids scored above an 85; at Townsend Harris, 99% of the kids scored above an 85.
Winner: Townsend Harris (score: 1 exam)
History: Every student at both schools pass both history exams.
Townsend Harris: 98% scored over 85 on Global; 100% scored over 85 in US History.
Stuyvesant: 97% scored over 85 on Global; 99% scored over 85 in US History.
Winner: Townsend Harris (score: 3 exams)
Things aren't looking good, right? But wait!
Math: Every student in both schools passed Math A, and in both schools 98% of students passed Math B. No students at Stuy took Integrated Algebra (this exam is still new, and some kids don't take it - but more important, most students who gain admittance to these best schools take the low level math exam while still in middle school).
Townsend Harris: 99% of students scored above an 85 on Math A; 79% of students scored above an 85 on Math B.
Stuyvesant: 100% of students scored above an 85 on Math A; 82% of students scored above an 85 on Math B.
Winner: Stuyvesant (score: 2 exams)
Science: There are four science exams. At both schools, no students took the Earth Science exam (which means that they ALL took it in middle school, almost guaranteed).
Living Environment (Bio): All kids at both schools passed this exam. At Townsend Harris, 87% scored over an 85; and at Stuyvesant, 95% scored over an 85.
Chemistry: At Stuyvesant, 100% of the test takers passed Chemistry, and 62% scored over an 85. At Townsend Harris, 98% passed the test, and only 47% of them scored over an 85.
Physics: At Stuyvesant, 98% of students passed the Physics exam, and 72% scored over an 85; at Townsend Harris, 95% passed the Physics exam, and 53% scored over an 85.
Winner: Stuyvesant (score: 5 exams)
Looking at tallies, more Stuyvesant won 5 exams to Townsend Harris' 3. Furthermore, while Townsend Harris swept the liberal arts, Stuyvesant owned the math and sciences (which makes sense, since the full name of Stuy is Stuyvesant High School of Math and Science).
HOWEVER!
To add some personal experience in to this, the English exam (Townsend Harris' most emphatic victory) is the most anti-intellectually stacked Regents exam. It is the only one of the tests that is so easy that a smart person can easily over think it. Take me, for example. I scored over 90 easily on every Regents I took, except for English - I scored an 81 on the English Regents. I remember talking to my teacher in HS about it, and she said that when she and the other teachers grade that one, they can never believe it, because so often their best students do the worst, because they over think the stupid "what's this poem about?" questions and thus blow them. Thus, I'm prepared to suggest that Townsend Harris beating Stuy on this one is basically meaningless.
That leaves only the history exams for Townsend Harris, and those only separated by a point.
When it is factored in that Stuyvesant staff had to prepare three times the number of students for these tests, with the results described above?
YES! We have a CLEAR WINNER! Stuyvesant, for all of Townsend Harris' bluster, is the best public high school in New York City, based on analysis of Regents exam scores.
School pride? Vindicated! HAHAHA!
(oh, and since some day I care, no, I don't remember all of my scores on Regents exams, but I do remember some, in the order I took them - Earth Science, 93; Sequential A, 97; Bio, 93?; Sequential B, ?; Global, ?; Spanish, 97; English, 81; Sequential 3, ?, Chemistry, 95?; Physics, 90?; US History, 95?) - wow, I'm amazed how many of these I really don't remember. :)
This pointless waste of time has been brought to you by, well, me, bored, tired and hungry, waiting for the boy to wake up so I can make pancakes. :)
I'm a Stuyvesant graduate. I was above the bell curve by 4 points. A friend of mine in HS, Evan, went to Townsend Harris his freshman year and then transferred, and he told horror stories of how much he hated it there and how awful it was, and how Stuy was easier, and ever since then, I've wondered: Could Townsend Harris possibly be a better (more difficult, with superior students) school than Stuy?? Thus, today, as I sat with the report cards doing my job, I realized that I couldn't pass up this opportunity to, all these years later, figure out if I could vindicate my high school alma mater.
Looking at Regents test data for the 2007 - 2008 school year, I compared the achievement of students at Townsend Harris, Stuyvesant and Bronx Science. I also glanced at Brooklyn Tech, but it was immediately apparent that they weren't in the running. For those who don't live in New York, Regents tests are exams given to all high school students. There are are currently 10 Regents subject tests, plus a few different ones in foreign languages which I didn't bother looking at. In order to graduate from high school, all students in the city must pass 5 core exams (English, Global History, US History, Math A, and one Science) with a score of 55 (out of 100) or higher.
At the best high schools, every kid takes every exam they are eligible for (usually all 10, plus one or more foreign languages). Passing them all with a score of 65 or higher earns one an Advanced Regents Diploma.
After all that work...no one outside of New York really gives a damn. But it felt important at the time (I took Regents in English, Global, US History, Sequential A, B, and C (which no longer exist, the math tests are now called Math A, Math B, and Integrated Algebra), Biology (now called Living Environment), Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Spanish)
Anyway - an examination of the 10 main Regents exams was my strategy for determining which school was better. It's also worth noting that Stuyvesant has 3125 students in total, as opposed to only 1093 at Townsend Harris, and 2670 at Bronx Science.
To begin with, it didn't take long to eliminate Bronx Science from the running. Both of the other schools beat it hands down, so it's not included in the rest of the analysis - the kids did damn well, but not as well.
So! Who wins?
English: Every student at both Townsend Harris and Stuyvesant passed the English test. At Stuy, 95% of the kids scored above an 85; at Townsend Harris, 99% of the kids scored above an 85.
Winner: Townsend Harris (score: 1 exam)
History: Every student at both schools pass both history exams.
Townsend Harris: 98% scored over 85 on Global; 100% scored over 85 in US History.
Stuyvesant: 97% scored over 85 on Global; 99% scored over 85 in US History.
Winner: Townsend Harris (score: 3 exams)
Things aren't looking good, right? But wait!
Math: Every student in both schools passed Math A, and in both schools 98% of students passed Math B. No students at Stuy took Integrated Algebra (this exam is still new, and some kids don't take it - but more important, most students who gain admittance to these best schools take the low level math exam while still in middle school).
Townsend Harris: 99% of students scored above an 85 on Math A; 79% of students scored above an 85 on Math B.
Stuyvesant: 100% of students scored above an 85 on Math A; 82% of students scored above an 85 on Math B.
Winner: Stuyvesant (score: 2 exams)
Science: There are four science exams. At both schools, no students took the Earth Science exam (which means that they ALL took it in middle school, almost guaranteed).
Living Environment (Bio): All kids at both schools passed this exam. At Townsend Harris, 87% scored over an 85; and at Stuyvesant, 95% scored over an 85.
Chemistry: At Stuyvesant, 100% of the test takers passed Chemistry, and 62% scored over an 85. At Townsend Harris, 98% passed the test, and only 47% of them scored over an 85.
Physics: At Stuyvesant, 98% of students passed the Physics exam, and 72% scored over an 85; at Townsend Harris, 95% passed the Physics exam, and 53% scored over an 85.
Winner: Stuyvesant (score: 5 exams)
Looking at tallies, more Stuyvesant won 5 exams to Townsend Harris' 3. Furthermore, while Townsend Harris swept the liberal arts, Stuyvesant owned the math and sciences (which makes sense, since the full name of Stuy is Stuyvesant High School of Math and Science).
HOWEVER!
To add some personal experience in to this, the English exam (Townsend Harris' most emphatic victory) is the most anti-intellectually stacked Regents exam. It is the only one of the tests that is so easy that a smart person can easily over think it. Take me, for example. I scored over 90 easily on every Regents I took, except for English - I scored an 81 on the English Regents. I remember talking to my teacher in HS about it, and she said that when she and the other teachers grade that one, they can never believe it, because so often their best students do the worst, because they over think the stupid "what's this poem about?" questions and thus blow them. Thus, I'm prepared to suggest that Townsend Harris beating Stuy on this one is basically meaningless.
That leaves only the history exams for Townsend Harris, and those only separated by a point.
When it is factored in that Stuyvesant staff had to prepare three times the number of students for these tests, with the results described above?
YES! We have a CLEAR WINNER! Stuyvesant, for all of Townsend Harris' bluster, is the best public high school in New York City, based on analysis of Regents exam scores.
School pride? Vindicated! HAHAHA!
(oh, and since some day I care, no, I don't remember all of my scores on Regents exams, but I do remember some, in the order I took them - Earth Science, 93; Sequential A, 97; Bio, 93?; Sequential B, ?; Global, ?; Spanish, 97; English, 81; Sequential 3, ?, Chemistry, 95?; Physics, 90?; US History, 95?) - wow, I'm amazed how many of these I really don't remember. :)
This pointless waste of time has been brought to you by, well, me, bored, tired and hungry, waiting for the boy to wake up so I can make pancakes. :)
