A study titled “By Any Honest Measure: New York City's Long Record of School Failure, and the Price We Keep Paying” paints a bleak picture of the city’s public‑school system. It estimates that 409,379 students – 43 percent of the total enrolment – are enrolled in schools classified as failing. The findings are especially stark given that New York City is the United States’ largest public‑school district, a fact that reverberates through the city’s workforce, electorate and business climate.
Scale of the problem
Attendance is a chronic issue. In the 2023‑24 school year roughly 35 percent of all NYC students – about 300,000 children – were chronically absent. The report also notes that many schools record unusually high numbers of pupils refusing to sit for exams, a practice that artificially inflates reported proficiency rates. Consequently, the true level of failure is likely worse than official statistics suggest.
Funding and incentives
Spending on public education reached $40 billion in 2024, equating to $36,293 per pupil – more than double the national average of $17,619. Yet the money has not translated into better outcomes. About a third of the 906 schools examined have remained in a cycle of failure designations for over a decade, receiving additional funds, undergoing mergers, rebranding and other interventions without ever achieving turnaround.
The report argues that the funding formula rewards deeper failure, granting schools that perform poorly access to larger categorical grants. Adding to the confusion, the state legislature has prohibited the use of the term “failing” and now requires districts to label such institutions “struggling schools”.
Evaluation and accountability
Teacher performance assessments appear inflated: 98 percent of teachers are rated as effective or highly effective. At the same time, 43 percent of students attend a school where more than half of the cohort is failing in mathematics, reading, or both.
Parent surveys have shifted focus away from academic achievement. One city‑wide questionnaire asked parents whether race and ethnicity were “positively represented in the curriculum”. At a particular failing school, 94 percent of respondents answered yes, highlighting the emphasis on cultural representation over learning outcomes.
Recommendations
The report concludes with a set of policy proposals aimed at reversing the decline:
- Introduce incentives that reward genuine excellence rather than merely allocating more money to struggling schools.
- Eliminate social promotion and curb grade inflation to ensure that credentials reflect actual competence.
- Reduce wasteful spending and redirect resources toward proven instructional practices.
- Restore a love of learning by prioritising student‑centred pedagogy.
Charter schools are presented as a model, with the author noting that they achieve higher test scores while operating on lower budgets.
Political context
The report implicitly criticises the city’s leadership. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels recently released a video congratulating public‑school students and families on “another incredible year”. The author, Eva Moskowitz, counters that the data tell a very different story.
“what is missing is not money. What is missing is honesty, honest measurement, honest reporting, and honest consequences when schools consistently fail,” the report states.
While the analysis acknowledges that funding is abundant, it argues that the core issue lies in management and accountability. Implementing the suggested reforms could, the report claims, improve student outcomes and make the education system more efficient.
Beyond New York, the findings echo concerns across the United States and Canada, where debates over funding, teacher quality and transparent reporting continue to dominate education policy discussions.