According to the latest forecast by the independent think tank “Citizens Budget Committee” (CBC), the New York City Department of Education (DOE) is projected to spend $42,168 per student in the 2025-2026 academic year, setting a new record as the highest in the United States.
The analysis by the “Citizens Budget Committee” indicates that this expenditure has increased by nearly $2,000 compared to last year, representing a 36% increase from five years ago. The calculated items include dining, transportation, school support services, administrative management, retirement funds, welfare, and debt interest, among others.
Based on statistics from the DOE, the total number of K-12 students in New York City is currently around 815,000, which is only a slight decrease of 0.1% from last year. However, compared to the 2019-2020 academic year, there has been a reduction of approximately 100,000 students. Despite mandated reductions in class sizes and increased teacher staffing under state law, expenditures continue to trend upwards.
New York City currently leads all major cities in the United States in per-student education spending, far exceeding other cities such as Chicago and Philadelphia.
Despite the significant investment, students’ academic performance continues to lag behind. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) latest “National Assessment of Educational Progress” (NAEP) released in January, only 33% of fourth-grade students in New York City reached proficiency in math, and 28% in reading. Eighth-grade students performed even lower, with 23% in math and 29% in reading.
In terms of state standardized testing, the English proficiency rate for sixth graders last year was 52.6%, higher than the previous year’s 45.9% and the 47.8% from the 2022-2023 academic year, but still lower than the 56.3% from the 2021-2022 academic year.
Ray Domanico, a senior researcher at the conservative think tank Manhattan Institute, criticized the current spending pattern of the DOE as “unsustainable” and suggested considering school consolidation to improve efficiency.
The current total budget for the Department of Education amounts to $41.2 billion, accounting for approximately one-third of the city’s overall budget.
In compliance with new state regulations, Mayor Adams and Education Director Melissa Aviles-Ramos announced in April the hiring of over 3,700 new teachers to reduce class sizes. According to the regulations, effective from September this year, the class size limit is set at 20 students for K-3 grades, 23 for grades 4-8, and 25 for high school; by September 2028, all classes must fully comply with the requirements, with over 60% of classes needing to meet the standards immediately.
In response to external criticisms, a spokesperson for the DOE stated that as the largest school district in the United States, New York City will continue to heavily invest in students, schools, and educators to ensure that every child receives a world-class education.
The spokesperson emphasized that the Department of Education appreciates the support from the city and state governments, enabling them to allocate more resources towards reducing class sizes, supporting disadvantaged students, replacing expiring federal relief funds, and various other initiatives through collective bargaining. “Students are our future, and any calls to reduce investment are illogical.”