New Report Reveals High Failure Rates in NYC Public Schools

Nearly half of New York City’s public schools have a significant number of students failing, even as the city spends more than double the national average on education. A recent report from the Success Academy charter school network highlights this troubling trend.

According to the report, more than 900 public schools saw fewer than half of their students pass state exams in subjects like math and reading in 2025. Specifics show that in 2024, New York City allocated $36,293 per pupil, starkly exceeding the national average of $17,619.

These struggling institutions educate around 43% of the city’s public school population. Alarmingly, over 500 of these schools recorded a majority of students failing both math and reading on state assessments in 2025. This is particularly concerning given that the city spent $40 billion on education that same year.

“What is lacking is not financial support. It’s sincerity — accurate measurements, truthful reports, and clear consequences for consistent failures,” the report, titled “By Any Honest Measure,” stated.

Interestingly, while student performance remains low, they continue advancing through the system because “New York City’s grading framework often allows students to pass courses without truly mastering the content,” the study reveals. The percentage of students attending failing schools increases with each educational level: 34% in elementary grades, 49% in middle school, and 62% in high school during the 2024-2025 academic year.

“These are not simply struggling schools,” the report declared. “They have been failing significantly and persistently at considerable public expense for years, often decades.”

Despite these glaring issues, the New York City Chancellor’s Office rated 98% of teachers as either effective or highly effective in the years 2022-2023. This juxtaposition raises questions; with high teacher evaluations and a staggering 43% of students in schools where many fail, it suggests that the evaluation system might not be accurately measuring teacher effectiveness.

“This analysis represents the most thorough look at school failures in New York City to date. It’s not due to hidden data, but rather because public authorities have repeatedly chosen to ignore the complete picture,” the report concluded.