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City Says 43,000 Students Have Left NYC Public School System This Year
By
Sophia Chang
and
Jessica Gould
Published Jan 27, 2021
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John Minchillo/AP/Shutterstock
By
Sophia Chang
and
Jessica Gould
Published Jan 27, 2021
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Enrollment in New York City’s public schools this year has dropped 4% with the exodus of about 43,000 students from the system, including a 9% decrease in kindergarten enrollment alone, according to the city’s Department of Education.
In a pattern seen in many major school districts across the country, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the ongoing decline in public school enrollment in New York City, which also reflected falling birth rates, the DOE said in a press release Wednesday.
While New York City still has the largest school district in the country, enrollment now stands at 960,000 students compared to the reported 1.1 million students in the 2018-2019 school year. Other school districts have seen similar declines in enrollment -- Dallas public schools were down 4% in December, according to the New York Times. In October, Washington state reported a 2.82% decrease in enrollment statewide, with a 14% drop in kindergarten, NPR reported.
Enrollment is a crucial factor in determining funding for the city's schools, particularly when it comes to state aid. But education department officials said, with federal funding and the state budget still in flux, it's too soon to tell how it will affect how much money goes to the city's public schools next year. Still, the declining enrollment numbers will mean many schools will have to return part of their budgets this year if enrollment is less than they expect, though some school leaders are now asking to maintain funding because of additional pandemic costs such as hiring more substitute teachers.
The biggest decline has been in the early childhood education sectors, with 3K enrollment down 8% and pre-K enrollment down 13%. While Mayor Bill de Blasio has made universal Pre-K for every family in the city a major part of his legacy, in New York City school is only mandatory starting in first grade, and earlier programs are optional.
“Similar to other large school districts, non-mandatory early childhood grades are mostly responsible for the enrollment shifts this year. The drop in this grade band represents ~10,000 students, or one percentage point, out of the citywide decline. Last year, DOE enrolled ~14,400 new pre-K students over the summer and early fall, compared this year to ~10,800 students enrolled after the application period. This could be COVID-19 related enrollment loss as these grades are not mandatory and families may be trying to limit travel and socially distance,” the DOE said.
The city was also rolling out more 3K programs though the expansion was paused last year because of budget issues from the pandemic. Interested parents still have time to enroll in 3K and pre-K programs for this year, the DOE said.
Elementary grades also all registered declining enrollment this year: Kindergarten enrollment declined by 9%, 1st grade declined by 6%, 2d grade declined by 8%, 3nrd grade declined by 4%, 4th grade enrollment declined by 6%, and 5th grade enrollment declined by 5%.
Middle school enrollment varied by grade level: 6th grade enrollment declined by 3% and 7th grade enrollment declined by 5% while 8th grade enrollment remained the same.
High school enrollments showed slight fluctuations: 9th grade enrollment declined by 4%, while 10th grade and 11th grade enrollment both increased by 2%, and 12th grade enrollment declined by 1%.
"Given the current circumstances of pandemic it is no surprise that we are seeing greater fluctuations in enrollment this year. However, no school district has stabilized its school system the way we have, which means that we can and will continue to offer the gold standard in health, safety, and learning in a completely transformed educational environment to our students," said DOE spokesperson Katie O’Hanlon in the release.
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COVID-19
coronavirus
schools reopening
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
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Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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