Teachers in New York City’s public schools are reportedly passing nearly 100 percent of students even though a large number of them are struggling to learn the basics.
Teachers and principals have been promoting the children even though many are not proficient in math or reading, two things that are essential for them to learn, the New York Post reported Saturday.
“The DOE promoted 99.6% of students in grades 3-8 in 2024-2025, even though only 57% of NYC 3-8 graders were proficient in math, a number that mysteriously skyrocketed from 43% in 2018, according to state test data,” the outlet said.
Per a Fox News article published in July, over 900 of the Big Apple’s public schools had less than a majority of students passing state reading and math exams.
The outlet cited a report from researchers at the New York City-based charter school network called Success Academy who said, “Despite New York City’s international reputation as an economic power and cultural influencer, the city’s public school system, funded at twice the average rate of other American school districts, has struggled for decades to deliver results that at best are mediocre.”
In April of 2025, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) refused to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices in a move against directives from President Donald Trump’s administration, Breitbart News reported.
Months later, New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for halting $47 million in federal grants after the district refused to change its transgender policies.
In response to the reported grading issue, Manhattan Institute Fellow Danyela Egorov told the Post, “There are no consequences for poor performance so school staff has no incentive to give a fair grade.” She also lamented, “New York has the highest per-pupil spending in the country; if people saw how badly students were actually doing, it would be difficult to justify to the taxpayer.”
