New York City Public School Enrollment Down 187,000 in 12 Years as Small Schools Rise to 335
Enrollment in New York City's public schools is in free fall. The K-12 student population in public schools is down 187,000 over the past 12 years to 790,000, and it is projected to fall almost as much in the decade to come, according to an analysis by Chalkbeat reported by The 74.
The number of schools with fewer than 250 students — the size under which Education Department leaders say it is difficult to offer a robust education — has multiplied eightfold over the past 25 years, from 42 to 335. Nearly a year into his administration, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has not shared a vision for addressing the school system's pressing challenges, and Chancellor Kamar Samuels indicated earlier this month that she does not want to create a systemwide plan to reduce the number of schools.
In recent weeks, superintendents have floated proposals to close at least two underenrolled schools, a high school in Harlem and a middle school in the South Bronx. The decline is driven by falling birth rates and families leaving the city.
Source: The 74
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：纽约市一所公立学校校舍。A New York City public school building. (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)
