New York City’s school system—now the largest in the nation—is also among the most segregated. One percent of McKinney’s students are white. It is also true that the vast majority of Success Academy’s students (seven thousand are enrolled in fourteen schools) are Black or Latino and from low-income families. But they possess an advantage over Dasani: They win their spot by lottery, which requires the help of an adult—one with a reliable email account or at least a cellphone that doesn’t shut off. None of these conditions exist for Dasani. What she knows is the other side.
