I attended Stuyvesant High School, which I have mixed views about. To a large degree, I think it's overrated. Now, as then, one had to take a test to gain admittance. Many students had tutors for this and went to cram school, but the test truly isn't that hard, and I got in easily. Similarly, I was surprised to find that while it's supposedly the "best high school in the country" that I had received a better education in most subjects previously at my private school. Certainly, for a science focused student, there are many special opportunities, but those exist outside of the classroom environment, which I found to be merely average. Stuyvesant also has a number of somewhat odd required classes (architectural drafting being the bane of many students' existence and machine shop being an archaic waste of time). I found that I received special attention in English classes because so few students excelled or were interested in excelling in this area, and I remain grateful to those teachers. Certainly, if you are looking for a good public school for your child, Stuyvesant must be considered, but the sun doesn't rise and set by it.
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