NYC Grade Inflation Debate: 99.6% of Students Promoted While Math Proficiency Is 57%
NEW YORK, N.Y. — Grade inflation in New York City public schools drew fresh scrutiny on October 31, with the New York Post reporting that teachers and principals continue to promote nearly 100 percent of students even though close to half are not proficient in math and reading.
City education department data show that 99.6 percent of students in grades 3 through 8 were promoted in the 2024-25 school year, while math proficiency for the same grades was just 57 percent — a figure that has itself risen sharply from 43 percent in 2018, prompting questions about whether standards have loosened.
Manhattan Institute fellow Danyela Egorov said that when there are "no consequences" for poor performance, school staff have no incentive to assign honest grades. Brooklyn College professor emeritus David Bloomfield said teachers who inflate grades are often trying to avoid scrutiny. At a City Council hearing, a council member tearfully recounted that her son earned A's in math throughout school yet could not handle fractions and algebra in high school.
A state education department spokesman responded that many states are moving away from high-stakes testing. Since the pandemic, New York City schools have sharply reduced their reliance on objective measures, and teacher-assigned grades have become the deciding factor when students apply to advanced programs.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：View of Empire State Building and apartment buildings on the shore of East River, New York City, 20231001 1058 0995。Jakub Hałun 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: View of Empire State Building and apartment buildings on the shore of East River, New York City, 20231001 1058 0995. By Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
