If You Can Make It Here

If You Can Make It Here (2026) is a documentary film directed by Jaclyn Boudreau, Joseph Kast.

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.

Cast

Wai Wah Chin

Self

Michael Benjamin

Self

Freddie DeBoer

Self

John McWhorter

Self

Lisa Greenwald

Self

Yiatin Chu

Self

Jon Roberts

Self

Kingsley Huang

Self

Hailey Yap

Self

Kevin Williams

Self

Isabelle Williams

Self

Kristina Raevsky

Self