The Class of 2027: Freshman Survey

Part A: Demographic Information

1. What is the ethnicity that best describes your background?

1. Asian — 77.7%
2. Black — 2.6%
3. Hispanic or LatinX — 4.2%
4. White — 21.8%
5. Other (American Indian, Pacific Islander) — 1.4%

2. Which of the following best describes your legal status in the United States?

1. U.S Citizen (Passport) — 86.3%
2. Permanent Resident (Green Card + Passport of another country) — 6.3%
3. Dual Citizenship (Passport of two countries) — 6%
4. Visa — 0.5%
5. Other — 0.9%

3. What is the religion that you identify with?

1. Christianity — 16.2%
2. Islam — 9%
3. Judaism — 7.2%
4. Hinduism — 3.9%
5. Agnosticism/Atheism — 56.4%
6. Buddhism — 3.9%
7. Other — 3.4%

4. How would you classify your family's socioeconomic status?

1. Lower/working class — 14.6%
2. Middle class — 40.6%
3. Upper middle class — 22.5%
4. Upper class — 2.8%
5. I don't know — 19.5%

5. What is the highest level of education either of your parents/guardians received?

1. Middle School — 5.1%
2. High School — 18.3%
3. Associate's Degree (two years of college) — 9.7%
4. Bachelor's Degree (four years of college) — 30.6%
5. Post-college education — 34.3%
6. None — 1.9%

6. What type of middle school did you attend?

1. Selective Public School or Gifted & Talented Program (NEST+m, Mark Twain, etc.) — 51.3%
2. Zoned Public School — 40.1%
3. Private School — 6.5%
4. Parochial School — 1.2%
5. Homeschool — 0.9%

7. What gender do you identify as?

1. Male — 48.3%
2. Female — 48.7%
3. Non-binary — 0.7%
4. Unsure — 1.6%
5. Other — 0.7%

8. What sexual orientation do you most closely identify with?

1. Heterosexual (Straight) — 77%
2. Homosexual (Gay) — 2.3%
3. Bisexual — 7%
4. Asexual — 3.7%
5. Unsure/Questioning — 8.8%
6. Other — 1.2%

9. What is your immigration status?

1. I am an immigrant — 11.8%
2. My parents are immigrants — 66.4%
3. My grandparents are immigrants — 8.6%
4. Other — 9.7%
5. I don't know — 3.5%

Part B: Academic Information

1. I frequently participated in my classes in middle school:

1. Strongly disagree — 2.8%
2. Disagree — 7%
3. Neutral — 20.7%
4. Agree — 37.9%
5. Strongly agree — 31.6%

2. I consider myself to be aware of current events:

1. Strongly disagree — 1.4%
2. Disagree — 9.5%
3. Neutral — 32.8%
4. Agree — 47.7%
5. Strongly agree — 8.6%

3. I have a strong work ethic:

1. Strongly disagree — 1.9%
2. Disagree — 9.8%
3. Neutral — 28.1%
4. Agree — 46.5%
5. Strongly agree — 13.7%

4. Approximately how much sleep did you get on any given school night in middle school?

1. Fewer than 6 hours — 7.7%
2. 6 - 7 hours — 23.3%
3. 7 - 8 hours — 36%
4. 8 - 9 hours — 27.2%
5. More than 9 hours — 5.8%

5. My favorite subject is:

1. Math — 44.9%
2. Science — 26.3%
3. English — 8.8%
4. History — 11.2%
5. Other — 8.8%

6. I spent ___ hours studying on an average night in middle school:

1. Less than 0.5 hours —35.6%
2. 0.5 - 1 hours — 34.9%
3. 1 - 2 hours — 19.1%
4. 2 - 3 hours — 8.1%
5. More than 3 hours — 2.3%

7. After I graduate from Stuyvesant, I think I might attend an Ivy League University or another elite university (Top 25 on U.S. News & World Report Best National University Rankings)

1. Strongly disagree — 2.3%
2. Disagree — 6.3%
3. Neutral — 29.8%
4. Agree — 38.4%
5. Strongly agree — 23.3%

8. By the end of my Stuyvesant career, I predict that I will be among:

1. top 10% of my class — 13%
2. top 25% of my class — 39.8%
3. top 50% of my class — 42.1%
4. bottom 50% of my class — 5.1%

Part C: Applying to Stuyvesant

1.When did you start studying for the SHSAT?

1. I did not study for the SHSAT— 2.3%
2. Less than one month before the exam — 4.7%
3. 1-4 months before the exam — 26.6%
4. 4-6 months before the exam — 22.1%
5. 6 months- 1 year before the exam — 30.1%
6. More than 1 year before the exam — 14.2%

2. Which best describes the method of studying you used for SHSAT?

1. I did not study for the SHSAT — 2.6%
2. Self-study/Preparatory books — 27%
3. Preparatory class (not SHSI) — 47.3%
4. SHSI preparatory school — 4.9%
5. One-on-one tutoring — 13.1%
6. Other — 5.1%

3. To what extent did a parent/guardian pressure you to come to Stuyvesant?

1. Not at all — 30.8%
2. Some pressure — 42.4%
3. A lot of pressure — 18.9%
4. It was entirely their decision — 7.9%

4. I think there will be a positive correlation between my SHSAT score and my academic success at Stuyvesant.

1. Strongly Disagree — 4.4%
2. Disagree — 15.9%
3. Neutral — 50.6%
4. Agree — 25.6%
5. Strongly Agree—3.5%

5. Approximately how much sleep do you expect to get on any given school night at Stuyvesant?

1. Fewer than 5 hours — 13.8%
2. 5-6 hours — 34%
3. 6-7 hours — 34%
4. 7-8 hours — 15.6%
5. More than 8 hours—2.6%

Part D: Identity/ Lifestyle 

1. I am opposed to the use of marijuana by high school students. 

1. Strongly disagree — 0.7%
2. Disagree — 0.9%
3. Neutral — 10.3%
4. Agree — 20.7%
5. Strongly agree — 67.4%

2. I am opposed to the use of e-cigarettes/vapes by high school students.

1. Strongly disagree — 1.2%
2. Disagree — 0.7%
3. Neutral — 4.9%
4. Agree — 20.1%
5. Strongly agree — 73.1%

3. I am opposed to the use of study drugs (prescription stimulants like Adderall or Ritalin) by high school students.

1. Strongly disagree — 2.1%
2. Disagree — 6.1%
3. Neutral — 24.9%
4. Agree — 28.2%
5. Strongly agree — 38.7%

4. I am opposed to the use of hard drugs (cocaine, opiates, etc) by high school students.

1. Strongly disagree — 0.9%
2. Disagree — 0.2%
3. Neutral — 3.5%
4. Agree — 13.8%
5. Strongly agree — 81.6%

5. I am opposed to sexual activity by high school students.

1. Strongly disagree — 1.9%
2. Disagree — 5.4%
3. Neutral — 31.5%
4. Agree — 23.3%
5. Strongly agree — 38%

6. How many cups of coffee do you drink on an average day?

1. None — 86.7%
2. 1 cup of coffee — 10.5%
3. 2 cups of coffee — 2.3%
4. 3 cups of coffee — 0.2%
5. 4+ cups of coffee — 0.2%

7. My mental health is something I think about regularly.

1. Strongly disagree — 4.4%
2. Disagree — 20.3%
3. Neutral — 35.9%
4. Agree — 31.9% 
5. Strongly agree — 7.5%

8. How many hours do you spend watching TV (including Netflix), gaming, or watching YouTube on a typical school day?

1. Less than one hour — 20.5%
2. 1 - 2 hours — 33.3%
3. 2 - 3 hours — 27.3%
4. 3 - 4 hours — 9.8%
5. More than 4 hours — 9.1%

9. How many hours a day do you spend on social media? 

1. Less than 1 hour — 34.5%
2. 1 - 3 hours — 42.2%
3. More than 3 hours — 14%
4. I don’t have any social media accounts, including Facebook — 9.3%

10. Choose the extracurriculars you will be most likely to dedicate yourself to in the next 4 years.

1. STEM/Academics — 62.1%
2. Sports — 56.4%
3. Speech and debate — 29.5%
4. Student government — 24.6%
5. Publications — 17.8%
6. Community service — 35.8%
7. Cultural or Religious — 7.5%
8. Games (Board or Video) — 26%
9. Music — 28.8%
10. Arts — 26.9%
11. None — 0.7%

11. When I am older, I hope to go into ___.

1. STEM-related fields (engineering, computer science, medicine, etc.) — 49.4%
2. Humanities (history, language studies, social sciences, law) — 8.9%
3. Finance, business, management — 12.1%
4. Arts (visual art, music, dancing, theater) — 2.8%
5. Vocational work (construction, manufacturing, etc.) — 0.7%
6. Not sure yet — 26.1%

Part E: Academic Honesty

I would sacrifice a good grade to preserve my academic honesty (ie even if I could cheat, I would not because it is immoral). 

1. Strongly disagree — 1.2%
2. Disagree — 7.5% 
3. Neutral — 24.7%
4. Agree — 40.6%
5. Strongly agree — 26.1% 

In middle school, I partook in some form of academic dishonesty: 

1. Frequently — 0.7%
2. Sometimes — 11.2%
3. Rarely — 40.6%
4. Never — 47.6% 

I think that academic dishonesty (in any form) can be justified. 

1. Strongly disagree — 14.7%

1. Disagree — 29.4%
2. Neutral — 40.3%
3. Agree — 12.8%

Strongly agree — 2.8%

Demographic Information 

Roughly 49 percent of students identify as male and 48 percent identify as female. Less than three percent identify as non-binary, both male and female, gender fluid, or unsure. 

Regarding immigration and legal status, almost 66 percent of incoming freshmen have parents who are immigrants. Around 12 percent of incoming freshmen are immigrants and around nine percent have grandparents who are immigrants. 

Nearly 75 percent of students’ parents possessed some college degree, with 9.8 percent earning an Associate’s Degree, 30.5 percent earning a Bachelor’s, and 34.4 percent receiving some post-college education. However, education seems to have little correlative effect with high levels of economic success, as less than 30 percent of students identify as upper or upper-middle class. 

Additionally, about half of the surveyed incoming freshmen attended selective public middle schools or gifted and talented programs. Over 90 percent attended a public middle school. The low percentage (6.5 percent) of students who attended private middle schools makes sense, given that the majority of students come from working- and middle-class backgrounds.

Consistent with the trend from previous years, the large majority (77.7 percent) of incoming freshmen are Asian. The second largest racial group is white (21.9 percent), with the remaining responses scattered across Black, Hispanic or Latinx, and other.

Similar to national and global trends, the Class of 2027 is largely secular, with 56.5 percent of the class identifying as atheist or agnostic. The remaining 43.5 percent is mostly composed of Abrahamic religions: 16 percent Catholic, nine percent Muslim, and seven percent Jewish. 

Academic Information 

The majority of freshmen think they will be extremely academically successful. Fifty-one percent believe they will be in the top 25 percent of their class and nearly 62 percent think they’ll attend an Ivy League or other top 25 school. Given that only 43 percent of the graduating Class of 2023 attended elite universities, that prediction seems likely to be more inflated than reality. More than 50 percent of students spent less than one hour studying per night, a number that will probably increase as time progresses due to Stuyvesant’s rigorous course load. 

Applying to Stuyvesant 

Around 69 percent of freshmen said they faced at least some parental pressure to attend Stuyvesant, with 7.9 percent claiming that their enrollment was entirely a parent or guardian’s decision. However, just over 30 percent of respondents stated that they had full autonomy over their enrollment. The freshman body spent various amounts of time studying for the SHSAT, with 30.1 percent spending six months to one year, 26.6 percent spending one to four months, and 22 percent spending four to six months studying.The percentages are fairly divided with the exception of those who studied less than a month or didn’t study at all, possibly signifying that results and time spent prepping are not closely correlated. When studying for the SHSAT, almost half of the students attended preparatory classes and 13.1 percent received one-on-one tutoring; however, 27.1 percent self-studied using preparatory books.

The majority of the freshman respondents expect to receive either five to six hours of sleep (34.1 percent) or six to seven hours of sleep (34.1 percent) per night, indicating that they recognize the stereotype that Stuyvesant students do not receive adequate amounts of sleep. The remaining freshmen are split between more than seven hours and less than five hours of sleep. 

A staggering number of Stuyvesant’s freshman class felt neutral about the idea that there will be a positive correlation between their SHSAT score and their academic performance. A combination of indifference to standardized testing as a measure of future academic performance and the rigorous coursework at Stuyvesant likely led 50.9 percent of students to choose neutrality. While about a quarter of students do believe that their SHSAT score will translate to excellency in the classroom, 15.9 percent do not think there will be a correlation. Seeing that their first year of high school has just begun, there is a high possibility that freshmen’s answers will change as the school year progresses. 

Identity and Lifestyle 

Stuyvesant students were generally opposed to using drugs and cigarettes. The usage of hard drugs was met with the strongest opposition. Students had similar responses to the usage of e-cigarettes or vapes and the usage of marijuana, with the usage of e-cigarettes or vapes getting a slightly stronger response. Interestingly enough, 25 percent of students felt neutral about the use of study drugs. This disparity could be because of the legality of study drugs, higher accessibility, and their milder effects. 

Unsurprisingly, the incoming class has a strong interest in STEM-related fields, with slightly under 50 percent of students wishing to continue on to STEM-related careers. The rest are split between undecided and other fields, from humanities to finance to the arts. Stuyvesant’s reputation as a STEM school means that it attracts, first and foremost, STEM students. However, it will be interesting to see what those who feel undecided choose to pursue. 

The Class of 2027 is largely opposed to sexual activity by high school students, with over 60 percent of students taking issue with sexual acts in high school. This may be due to a general lack of education surrounding sexual health, which students will hopefully gain through freshman year health classes. 

The majority of students are interested in joining extracurriculars at Stuyvesant, with STEM and academic clubs garnering the most attention. However, a surprising number of students (over 55 percent) plan to join an athletics club or team, which will hopefully strengthen Stuyvesant’s PSAL reputation. Students expressed low interest in cultural or religious clubs.

The current freshmen at Stuyvesant indicated that they mostly don’t drink coffee on an average day, with 86.7 percent of students marking down zero cups and only 10.5 percent marking down one cup of coffee. The low coffee consumption is likely due to the relatively high amount of sleep that the Class of 2027 received prior to the school year, with most sleeping at least five to six hours every night. As the school year progresses and the daily workload inevitably increases, the average coffee consumption for freshmen will likely increase as well.

A surprising 34.6 percent of freshmen reported they spend less than one hour on social media, which upholds the stereotype that Stuyvesant students are generally disconnected from popular culture. This may be due to the tendency of Stuyvesant students to study more than they socialize. In addition, 9.3 percent of students reported they did not have any social media, including Stuyvesant’s (practically) required platform: Facebook. This will likely change for these freshmen, as Facebook is a helpful way to receive advice, join clubs, and meet new people at Stuyvesant. 

Academic Honesty 

Many freshmen lack experience with academic dishonesty, with 47.7 percent of freshmen never having partaken in any form of academic dishonesty during middle school. Similarly, over 60 percent of freshmen assert that they would sacrifice a good grade to maintain their academic integrity rather than cheat due to moral considerations. On the other hand, 52.3 percent of freshmen admitted to having cheated on at least one occasion throughout their middle school careers. 

Furthermore, a great deal of freshmen have conflicting views in regards to whether any form of academic dishonesty can be justified. For instance, 15.4 percent of freshmen believe that there is never a legitimate reason for partaking in academic dishonesty, regardless of the circumstances faced by a student or how they violate academic integrity policies. However, a staggering 44.1 percent of freshmen believe that partaking in academic dishonesty can be justified, with 40.4 percent of freshmen maintaining neutrality on the issue. The diversity of responses to this question are particularly interesting, given that academic integrity is a hot topic at Stuyvesant—especially new forms of academic dishonesty like plagiarism through AI-powered tools.