If You Can Make It Here

If You Can Make It Here — Plot

Kingsley, Kevin, and Hailey are three ambitious eighth graders preparing for a single exam that could determine their futures. They’re competing for admission to New York City’s Specialized High Schools, elite public institutions that have produced Nobel Prize laureates, astronauts, judges, artists, and national leaders. But as the kids await their test results, a citywide battle is raging over who should attend these schools—the kids who score highest on the entrance exam or the kids who improve diversity. Featuring interviews with kids, parents, and education leaders, If You Can Make It Here places young students at the center of a high-stakes cultural conflict over the future of equity and excellence in public education.

• Release date
• July 10, 2026
• Runtime
• 59 min
• Genres
• Documentary
• Director
• Jaclyn Boudreau

If You Can Make It Here — Cast

W

Wai Wah Chin Self

M

Michael Benjamin Self

F

Freddie DeBoer Self John McWhorter Self

L

Lisa Greenwald Self

Y

Yiatin Chu Self

J

Jon Roberts Self

K

Kingsley Huang Self