In New York City, Black, Latino, and other underrepresented minority students continue to demonstrate strong interest in STEM-related fields despite facing persistent achievement gaps compared to their peers. Research shows that nearly 60% of Black and Latino students express interest in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, many of which are centered around STEM disciplines. However, while interest remains high, only 24% of African American students and 44% of Hispanic students interested in STEM meet established math proficiency benchmarks.
Although minority participation and representation within New York City’s STEM ecosystem continue to grow, disparities remain significant. While approximately 40% of NYC STEM entrepreneurs identify as BIPOC, only 31% of computer science degrees awarded through CUNY were earned by Black or Hispanic students, despite these groups representing 55% of the university’s student population.
As robotics programs continue to expand throughout Bronx high schools, Books Education Learning and Life (BELL Organization) partnered with X564 Claremont International High School’s Steel Titans Robotics Club to support student innovation and STEM engagement by providing robotics kits to the program.