Charter schools are showing promising results for New York City students who have largely lost faith in the traditional education system. It feels rather inappropriate for progressives like Zohran Mamdani to continue advocating for charters while simultaneously seeking the backing of special interest groups.
The differences in student performance are striking, especially in the Bronx. Students enrolled in public charter schools are performing significantly better on state K-8 reading and math exams compared to their peers in traditional public schools.
When we look at all 99 charter schools in the Bronx, about 68.6% of students passed the reading exam for grades 3 to 8, whereas only 43.6% passed in regular public schools — a gap of about 25 percentage points.
In mathematics, the disparity is even more pronounced, with roughly 69.2% of charter students passing compared to only 43.3% in district schools. The best-performing charter schools are truly remarkable. More than 95% of students at four notable charter schools in the South Bronx pass both English and mathematics, while around 90% do well at several Zeta Charter Schools, five Success Academy schools, and seven Icahn Network schools.
Citywide, charter schools outperform district schools by an average of 11 points, according to a report from the New York City Charter School Center. Unfortunately, the situation is less promising in some other boroughs, where only a few schools come close to achieving similar results as top charters.
It’s worth noting that the university-centered method employed by some success networks doesn’t fit every child’s needs. However, for many low-income families, charters provide high expectations, academic rigor, and an accountable school environment.
Moreover, many smaller, independent charter schools aim to cater to diverse children, including dual language learners and those with special needs.
Another important note is that very few charter schools perform as poorly as the worst public schools. Even though some charters may struggle, they generally close quicker than failing schools, which can remain open for years despite poor performance.
Currently, the city’s 285 charter schools enroll around 150,000 students out of a total of approximately 1.1 million public school students. A significant percentage, nearly 90%, of charter students are Black or Latino, with 83% coming from low-income families and 19% having special needs.
This demographic reality means that in some of the city’s toughest neighborhoods, charters fulfill the promise that public education should theoretically offer—genuine opportunities for every child.
While teachers’ unions often express concern for students, their actions suggest their primary focus is self-interest. They consistently exert considerable pressure against the charter sector in Albany.
This is why local councils hesitate to relax charter school caps and why charters receive considerably less funding than other types of schools.
Mamdani’s agenda appears to aim at diminishing the presence of charters, pushing them out of school buildings and trying to restrict their growth altogether.
With the ongoing discussion about affordability, it seems crucial for the upcoming mayoral race to consider the expansion of charter schools. One can only hope that these schools can remain affordable and accessible in the city’s most vulnerable communities.
