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Enrollment dips slightly at NYC public schools after Mayor Adams limits shelter stays
By
Jessica Gould
Published Nov 15, 2024
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Deb Cohn-Orbach/UCG/Universal Images
By
Jessica Gould
Published Nov 15, 2024
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Enrollment at New York City public schools has dipped slightly since last year, according to preliminary data released by the education department Friday.
As of this fall, there are about 911,000 students in the public schools — from 3-K through 12th grade — down from 912,064 last year. In a statement, Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos called the preliminary enrollment numbers “strong.”
Like many school districts across the country, New York City’s public schools have for years grappled with declining enrollment, which experts attribute to a combination of factors: lower birth rates, families leaving the city and concerns about the quality of education available at the public schools.
New York City’s enrollment numbers started declining around 2017, and the pandemic accelerated the trend. Education department data shows there were just over 1 million students in the system in the fall of 2019, a figure that fell to 955,000 the following year.
Last year, enrollment went up for the first time in eight years – driven largely by the arrival of tens of thousands of migrant students. In September, then-Chancellor David Banks told the New York Times the influx of new migrant students had been a “godsend because we’ve lost so many other kids.”
However, data also shows that after Mayor Eric Adams initiated a 60-day limit on shelter stays for migrant families last year, many children left their schools. Some switched to other schools within the five boroughs, while other families left the city altogether.
“We’ve lost about 100,000 kids and the trend may continue,” said David Bloomfield, education professor at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center. He said lower enrollments don’t always translate into lower overall costs, which can put schools in a financial bind. He said the city may have to accelerate school consolidations, which can be unpopular.
In addition to the overall enrollment numbers, the city released new data on its progress meeting the requirements of a 2022 state law that requires schools to reduce class sizes. The law caps the number of students per class at 20 for kindergarten to third grade, 23 for fourth to eighth grade, and 25 for high school.
Officials say 46% of classes are meeting the class size caps, more than the 40% required by the law this year. Schools with low-income populations are meeting the class size targets more than schools that serve more affluent families do, they added.
But advocates have said the education department will need to invest heavily in new teachers and space to make all the city’s classrooms compliant with the law, which is required by 2028.
Last month, the education department announced plans developed with the United Federation of Teachers to dole out additional funds to schools that take proactive steps to meet the targets.
Leonie Haimson, executive director of Class Size Matters and longtime champion of smaller classes, said the city will have to do more to meet the mandate.
“Without allowing principals at overcrowded schools to cap enrollment next year and without engaging in an accelerated process of school construction, DOE will be unable to meet the legal caps of 60% next year and beyond,” she said. “This means half or more NYC students may never have the benefit of smaller classes which they so badly need and deserve.”
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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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