At a Glance
One of Manhattan's most selective screened high schools, drawing families citywide while rooted in East Harlem.
Best suited for
A motivated student with strong math and science instincts whose family is ready to invest in entrance-exam prep and a longer commute for access to one of the city's most selective STEM programs.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of 4-year graduation, English Regents college-ready and Regents completion · DOE 2025 report
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- A 6.2% offer rate makes admission rarer than many Ivy League colleges — selectivity is the school's defining trait.
- Zero suspensions reported signals a culture that leans restorative rather than punitive, unusual at this enrollment size.
- The bilingual Spanish Science & Mathematics track (428 applicants for 27 seats) is a rare combination nationally.
- A 100/100 program richness score means virtually every club and sport category the data tracks is represented.
- Trust scores of 96–98% across parents and teachers are uncommon at a school serving 1,500-plus students.
Things to consider
- The commute is real — every nearby subway station requires a 12–15 minute walk, which adds up for daily travel.
- With 1,552 students, this is a large school; students who thrive in smaller communities may feel anonymous here.
- PTA fundraising of about $4 per student is dramatically below the District 4 average of $103 — engaged parents, but limited financial infrastructure.
- A 71.1 economic need index means many families are juggling real financial pressure even at a top-rated school.
- Screened admissions require students to prepare for and ace the entrance exam — this is a school families aim for, not one they fall into.
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 4
District 4 spans East Harlem and is dominated by elementary and middle schools in the peer list; MCSM is the district's flagship screened high school and pulls applicants from across Manhattan and beyond. Among its District 4 peers, it occupies a unique position as the only large screened secondary school, so direct head-to-head comparison is limited.
Academics
Proficiency numbers aren't included in this snapshot, so the academic picture has to be read through other signals. Screened admissions with a 6.2% offer rate, a 100/100 program richness score, AP coursework, dual language, and a STEM emphasis all point to a college-prep orientation. Teacher-reported instruction quality at 95% sits well above the District 4 average of 87%, and 97% parent satisfaction reinforces that what's happening in classrooms is landing with families.
Culture
The climate numbers here are exceptional: zero suspensions reported, parent-principal trust at 98%, parent-teacher trust at 96%, and teacher-principal trust at 95%. A 76% family survey response rate means engaged parents are showing up and answering — and they like what they're seeing. Teacher collegial trust at 89% suggests faculty feel supported by one another, not just by leadership. The day-to-day feel from these numbers is calm, structured, and unusually aligned between home and school.
Community
The student body is genuinely diverse — 46% Hispanic, 23% Asian, 19% Black, 10% White, with a 74% diversity index — and that mix reflects both East Harlem's Latino roots and the citywide draw of a top STEM school. With an economic need index of 71.1 (roughly seven in ten students from low-income households) and 16% of students with IEPs, the school serves a wide range of learners despite its selective admissions. The surrounding neighborhood has a 33% poverty rate and only about 11% of households include children, so a sizable share of the student body commutes in from elsewhere.
Neighborhood
East Harlem (the northern pocket of it) is a working-class, heavily renter neighborhood — median household income around $36,700, just 8% homeownership, and 29.9% of adults holding a bachelor's degree. The neighborhood sits in the middle of a generational shift, signaled by a $675,000 median home value resting on relatively modest incomes. Only about 1 in 9 households here includes children, which is part of why so many MCSM families travel in from other parts of the city.
Families get here via the 6 train at 116 St (about a 12-minute walk) or 110 St (about a 13-minute walk), or the 4/5/6 hub at 125 St (about a 15-minute walk) — a noticeable hike on top of any subway ride, especially in winter.
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 1235 families responded (76% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
Our mission is to provide each student with the best possible and greatest number of college admissions choices by senior year. Students are prepared to be college ready by providing them with challenging courses, academic supports ensuring achievement, and detailed enrichment programs to help construct a strong college resume. While math and science are their strengths, we focus on college-readiness, reading, and writing. More than 50% of our students are enrolled in AP courses.
Bilingual students follow the same academic programming and rigor of general education students, while guaranteed language support ensuring equitable college-ready opportunities.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
PTA Fundraising
Source: DOE Local Law 171 disclosure
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
High school (9th grade)
High school is one citywide application, made in 8th grade. Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics admits through one program, and each one has its own admissions method:
- Science & Mathematics ResearchScreened
High school application
- Opened
- Tue, Oct 6
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 4
- Offers
- Wed, Mar 3
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the high school application, in 8th grade.
- 2Screened programs rank the 7th-grade core-course average, so last year's final grades are the ones that count.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics a good school?
- On Motley, Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics earns an overall rating of 87/100 — the average of the school's four-year graduation rate, the share of its students scoring college-ready (70+) on the English Regents, and its Regents completion rate, shown out of 100.
- What grades does Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics serve?
- Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics?
- Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics is a screened school — it admits by application, ranking applicants on their course grades (4th grade for middle school, the 7th-grade core-course average for high school); a few schools add an assessment, writing sample, or interview.
- Is Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics public, charter, or private?
- Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics is a public school in NYC Community School District 4.
- What neighborhood is Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics in?
- Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics is in East Harlem (North), Manhattan.