Yeah that sucks, as far as I found NYC is unique in having this truly merit based top end to their system (would love to hear of others if they exist). We have a tentative plan to move there if my kids need it.

Most other places water it down with lotteries, preference based on class or race, etc.

NYC is big enough that they can do what they do, which is have the very top end pure merit, then a tier lower that pulls people up from underrepresented groups. Best of both worlds. One of the top tier high school has numerous Nobel prize winners in the sciences. It's good for humanity to have these places.