The State Education Department released data this week revealing that enrollment in kindergarten through eighth grade in city public schools is down 12% since the last pre-pandemic school year.
Mayor Eric Adams and Chancellor David Banks have inherited a school system that is shrinking rapidly, particularly in the elementary grades. But it’s not necessarily bad news — if they take the opportunity it provides to better serve students.
Detailed data the State Education Department released this week reveal that enrollment in kindergarten through eighth grade in city public schools is down by 41,017 students this year, after last year’s decline of 32,273.
That’s an eye-popping drop of 73,290 students, or 12%, since the last pre-pandemic school year, 2018-19. Enrollment in city public high schools is also down, but by less: This year’s drop of 7,281 students combined with last year’s 3,085 means a 3.5% decline over two years.
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Ray Domanico is a senior fellow and director of education policy at the Manhattan Institute.
This piece originally appeared in New York Post