Originally Posted by Bostonian
I don't think the admissions test should be scrapped and agree with the following New York Post editorial:
Originally Posted by NYP editorial of June 3, 2018
...a far better option: creating more good high schools to meet the demand.
Agreed. If the number of pupils who qualify for specialty schools exceeds the number of seats available, then it may be time to consider re-purposing gen-ed seats to gifted seats. This keeps the American Dream of upward socio-economic mobility alive for all who are willing to struggle, sacrifice, and work hard to develop their skills and abilities.

Originally Posted by Bostonian
Originally Posted by NYP editorial of June 3, 2018
the "elite eight"
This 2015 NYP article lists the top 8 schools in NYC as:
1. Stuyvesant High School
2. Staten Island Technical High School
3. Bronx High School of Science
4. High School Of American Studies At Lehman College
5. Brooklyn Technical High School <= Mayor de Blasio's son attended
6. High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at City College
7. The Brooklyn Latin School
8. Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
And one more... Hunter College High School