M.S. 51 William Alexander: SHSAT testers and specialized high school offers, 2022-2026
District 15 · Brooklyn · DBN 15K051
- 8th graders, 2026
- 297
- Sat the SHSAT
- 181
- Took the test
- 61%
- Offers
- 36
SHSAT 2026: registration October 6–30; the test is November 14–15 (School Day November 18, 9th grade November 21).
For families choosing a middle school
Getting in (Fall 2026 admissions)
In Fall 2026 middle school admissions, M.S. 51 William Alexander admitted sixth graders through one program (Open).
It had 428 general education applicants for 310 seats, 1 applicant per seat in the DOE's count.
| Program | Admissions method | General education seats | Students with disabilities | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | Applicants | Per seat | All filled | Seats | Applicants | Per seat | ||
| William Alexander Middle School (M.S. 51)Open to New York City residents | Open | 310 | 428 | 1 | Yes | 86 | 61 | 1 |
Where its students go next. The DOE lists Edward R. Murrow High School, Brooklyn Technical High School and Midwood High School as the high schools its students most often attend.
Fall 2026 admissions: families applied in fall 2025 for sixth grade in September 2026. Seats, applicants and applicants per seat are the DOE’s, from its Fall 2026 Middle School Data file on InfoHub (saved by the DOE 2026-09-18), the same figures MySchools shows as last year’s demand. The DOE counts applicants this way: “MySchools shows the true number of applicants who were considered for a seat in a program, meaning this number excludes applicants who matched to a more preferred choice from their application.” (schools.nyc.gov, read October 4, 2026). Applicants per seat is the DOE’s own figure, rounded to a whole number, so 0 means fewer than one applicant for every two seats. “All filled” is the DOE’s flag for whether every seat in that group was filled; “n/a” means the file gives no figure. Seats and demand change every year; this page does not turn them into a chance of admission.
In 2026 admissions, 181 of the 297 eighth graders at M.S. 51 William Alexander who applied to high school sat the SHSAT: 61%, more than half the grade. Across District 15 the rate was 43%, so this school sits 18 points above it. Citywide, among public middle schools that published both counts, 39% of eighth graders sat the test. It ranks 3rd of 12 in District 15 on that measure. Its eighth grade is the 2nd largest of 12 in District 15, above the median of 131.
36 students from the school received an offer to one of the eight testing specialized high schools, 20% of its testers. Across the city, 4,023 offers went to 26,123 testers that year, 15.4%. It is the 24th highest count of the 111 middle schools whose 2026 offer count was large enough to be published.
The number of testers went from 211 in 2022 admissions to 181 in 2026, down 30. Offers went from 52 in 2022 to 36 in 2026.
Within District 15, no school received more offers in 2026 admissions; this one accounts for 23% of the 157 published for the district.
Year by year
| Admissions year | 8th graders | Sat the SHSAT | Took the test | Offers | Discovery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 361 | 211 | 58% | 52 | 5 or fewer (not published) |
| 2023 | 315 | 185 | 59% | 33 | 5 or fewer (not published) |
| 2024 | 322 | 195 | 61% | 41 | 5 or fewer (not published) |
| 2025 | 328 | 214 | 65% | 35 | 5 or fewer (not published) |
| 2026 | 297 | 181 | 61% | 36 | 5 or fewer (not published) |
| District 15, 2026 | 1,685 | 732 | 43% | at least 157 | |
| New York City, 2026 | 26,123 | 4,023 |
“2026 admissions” means students who sat the SHSAT as eighth graders in the 2025-26 school year and received offers for fall 2026, as in the DOE’s Fall 2026 SHSAT and Discovery Summary. “8th graders” counts the school’s eighth graders who applied to high school; “took the test” divides testers by that count when both are published. The district row adds the published counts of its schools, so its offers are a floor; the city row is the DOE’s own total. “Not listed” means the school is absent from that year’s file.
Schools in District 15 with a similar share of testers
The schools just above and below M.S. 51 William Alexander when District 15’s schools are ordered by the share of eighth graders who sat the SHSAT in 2026 admissions.
- The Math & Science Exploratory School65% of 166 sat the test · 26 offers
- M.S. 442 Carroll Gardens School for Innovation61% of 111 sat the test · 26 offers
- New Voices School of Academic & Creative Arts57% of 168 sat the test · 29 offers
- J.H.S. 088 Peter Rouget38% of 300 sat the test · 26 offers
- Red Hook Neighborhood School: Harbor Middle School32% of 37 sat the test · offers: 5 or fewer (not published)
- Sunset Park Prep32% of 135 sat the test · offers: 5 or fewer (not published)
See how this school ranks
In 2026 admissions, M.S. 51 William Alexander received 36 specialized high school offers for 181 students who sat the SHSAT: 19.9 per 100. That ranks it #15 of 29 in Brooklyn and #56 of 105 citywide, among schools with at least 30 test-takers.
Best middle schools in Brooklyn for the SHSAT
Compare with…
What to do with these numbers
Your child is in 8th grade now
Registration closes October 30. Test day: November 18.
November 18 is the SHSAT School Day; the weekend sittings are November 14/15 and November 21. Whatever the count at M.S. 51 William Alexander, the decision to sit the test is yours, and a scored official practice test tells you more about your own child than any school figure.
- How to register for the SHSAT, step by step
- Score an official SHSAT practice test, free
- Book an SHSAT session
Dates read on schools.nyc.gov on October 19, 2026.
Your child is in 6th or 7th grade
A 7th grader sits the SHSAT in fall 2027; a 6th grader, in fall 2028.
The test comes in the fall of 8th grade, so there is no deadline yet, and that is the point: starting now leaves time to work on reading and math at a steady pace instead of in the last weeks. The counts above show what happened at M.S. 51 William Alexander, not where your child stands. We start with a scored official practice test, which does.
Your child is in 5th grade
Middle school applications are open until December 11.
Start with how many families applied for each seat last year: the DOE publishes it program by program. The middle school you choose is also where the SHSAT years happen, so ask the schools on your list how many of their students sit the test and how they prepare them.
- How hard M.S. 51 William Alexander is to get into
- SHSAT preparation: what it involves and when to start
Dates for fall 2027 entry read on schools.nyc.gov on October 3, 2026.
M.S. 51 William Alexander is a school figure. Your child needs a score.
Figures from Specialized High Schools Admissions Tests Results (school counts) and Specialized High Schools Admissions Overall Summary (city totals), New York City Department of Education, as listed for DBN 15K051; 2026 figures from the DOE’s Fall 2026 SHSAT and Discovery Summary on InfoHub, not yet on NYC Open Data. Rebuilt 2026-10-04. Method and caveats are set out on the index page. Back to all 735 middle schools.