New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) announced the results of the citywide school survey for the 2026 academic year on August 11th, with responses from nearly 900,000 students, parents, and staff members. The satisfaction levels of parents towards the schools remain very high. However, the latest state exam results show a noticeable decline in reading proficiency in some grade levels, raising concerns about the potential gap between parents’ high satisfaction and students’ actual academic performance.
This marks the 20th consecutive year that the city of New York has conducted a citywide school survey. This year, over 870,000 school community members participated, representing a 2% increase in responses compared to the previous year. The survey revealed that 96% of parents are satisfied with the education their children received this year, 97% feel welcomed in the schools, and 81% are satisfied with the meals provided by the schools.
On more specific aspects, parents’ evaluations were equally high: 93% of parents believe that their children’s reading abilities have made progress as expected; 92% think their math progress meets expectations, 93% believe the schools help them understand what knowledge their children should acquire at each grade level; 96% are satisfied with the education their children received this year; and 97% are satisfied with the overall quality of the schools.
However, these results contrast starkly with the recently released state exam scores for students. Yiatin Chu, co-founder of the education advocacy organization PLACE NYC, pointed out on the social platform X that there is a “significant gap” between parents’ perception of their children’s academic progress and the objective test results.
Citing the latest state exam scores, Chu highlighted that the third-grade students’ reading proficiency decreased by approximately 14 percentage points compared to 2025, and the overall reading proficiency rates across all grade levels declined by about 6 percentage points. Yet, despite these statistics, 93% of parents in the school survey believe that their children’s reading progress meets the expectations.
“Are parents unaware of the actual situation, or are their expectations for their children’s academic performance too low?” Chu questioned.