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Thousands of eighth grade students across the city have been waiting for today, when they found out if they made the rosters of the city’s highly competitive specialized schools.

The Department of Education reports that 5,898 students made the cut this year for the city’s nine specialized high schools, eight of which offer seats to students based on their entrance exam scores. The exception, Fiorello LaGuardia High School, admits students based on their auditions, as well as their grades and exam scores. The deadline for accepting these schools’ offers is February 23.

Already, parents are emailing to ask what the lowest scores were that gained students admission to each of the schools. If you happen to know, please post in the comments section.

A chart breaking down the race/ethnicity of the admitted students is below.

CHANCELLOR KLEIN ANNOUNCES SPECIALIZED HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSIONS RESULTS

Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today announced that 5,898 eighth graders have received an offer to attend one of the City’s nine specialized high schools beginning in September 2010. Offers to eight of the schools are based on the results of the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test, a competitive exam taken by approximately 27,000 students this year. Admission to a ninth school, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, is based on a rigorous audition and a review of academic records.

The specialized high schools that admit students based on the results of the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) are Bronx High School of Science; The Brooklyn Latin School; Brooklyn Technical High School; High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at City College; High School of American Studies at Lehman College; Queens High School for the Sciences at York College; Staten Island Technical High School; and Stuyvesant High School.

“It is a major accomplishment to be admitted to one of our city’s specialized high schools,” Chancellor Klein said. “I congratulate all of the students who received an offer and those who took on the challenge of applying.”

This year, 5,261 students received an offer to a specialized school based on their exam scores, similar to the 5,246 students who received one last year. Students applying to LaGuardia may receive an offer to more than one program at the school, as well as an offer to one of the other specialized high schools. In all, 1,000 students received one or more offers to LaGuardia. Of these 1,000 students, 363 are also receiving an offer to one of the testing schools.

Students began receiving notification of their offers yesterday. The deadline to accept an offer is February 23. Students who do not accept their offer by February 23 will forfeit their seats and be entered into the main round of the high school admissions process. Students who do not receive an offer are automatically entered into the main round. Results of the main round will be announced in late March.