M.S. 839: SHSAT testers and specialized high school offers, 2022-2026

District 15 · Brooklyn · DBN 15K839

8th graders, 2026: 91
Sat the SHSAT: 27
Took the test: 30%
Offers: 6

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. 839 admitted sixth graders through one program (Open).

It had 193 general education applicants for 85 seats, 2 applicants per seat in the DOE's count.

Seats, applicants and applicants per seat for each program at M.S. 839, Fall 2026 middle school admissions, from the New York City Department of Education.
Program	Admissions method	General education seats				Students with disabilities
Program	Admissions method	Seats	Applicants	Per seat	All filled	Seats	Applicants	Per seat
M.S. 839Open to New York City residents	Open	85	193	2	Yes	23	58	3

Where its students go next. The DOE lists Brooklyn Prospect Charter School - CSD 15.2, Edward R. Murrow 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, 91 eighth graders at M.S. 839 applied to high school and 27 of them sat the SHSAT, a participation rate of 30%. Across District 15 the rate was 43%, so this school sits 14 points below it. Citywide, among public middle schools that published both counts, 39% of eighth graders sat the test. It ranks 9th of 12 in District 15 on that measure. Its eighth grade is smaller than most in District 15: 9th of 12, against a median of 131.

6 students from the school received an offer to one of the eight testing specialized high schools, 22% of its testers. Across the city, 4,023 offers went to 26,123 testers that year, 15.4%. It ranks 103rd of the 111 middle schools whose 2026 offer count was large enough to be published.

The number of testers went from 40 in 2022 admissions to 27 in 2026, down 13. The eighth grade itself shrank from 117 to 91 over the same years, so part of that movement is the size of the class, not the share sitting the test. Offers went from 10 in 2022 to 6 in 2026.

In District 15, the most offers in 2026 admissions went to students from M.S. 51 William Alexander (36), out of 157 published for the district as a whole.

Year by year

SHSAT testers and specialized high school offers at M.S. 839 by admissions year, from the New York City Department of Education.
Admissions year	8th graders	Sat the SHSAT	Took the test	Offers	Discovery
2022	117	40	34%	10	5 or fewer (not published)
2023	113	35	31%	6	5 or fewer (not published)
2024	115	41	36%	8	5 or fewer (not published)
2025	98	35	36%	8	5 or fewer (not published)
2026	91	27	30%	6	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. 839 when District 15’s schools are ordered by the share of eighth graders who sat the SHSAT in 2026 admissions.

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)
The Boerum Hill School for International Studies30% of 127 sat the test · 8 offers
Park Slope Collegiate24% of 25 sat the test · offers: 5 or fewer (not published)
Brooklyn Collaborative Studies18% of 65 sat the test · offers: 5 or fewer (not published)
I.S. 136 Charles O. Dewey17% of 163 sat the test · offers: 5 or fewer (not published)

Every school in District 15, side by side

See how this school ranks

M.S. 839 is not ranked for 2026 admissions: 27 students sat the SHSAT, under the 30 we require for a stable rate.

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. 839, 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.

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. 839, 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.

Dates for fall 2027 entry read on schools.nyc.gov on October 3, 2026.

M.S. 839 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 15K839; 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.