A new report from Success Academy, a New York City charter school network, claims that more than 900 of the city's public schools failed to have a majority of students pass state maths and reading tests, meaning over 400,000 children are enrolled in underperforming institutions. The findings matter because they challenge the state's more upbeat assessment of pupil performance and reignite debate over whether New York's large education spending is delivering value.

The report states that 906 schools — nearly half of all public schools across the five boroughs — saw fewer than half of pupils pass state maths or reading exams last year, enrolling 409,379 students, or 43 per cent of the city's public school children. In 503 of those schools, most pupils failed both subjects. This contrasts with the New York State Education Department's 2024-2025 data, which reported "meaningful signs of improvement", with 57 per cent of pupils in grades three to eight deemed proficient in maths and 53 per cent in English. Critics highlight that the city spent roughly $40 billion on education in fiscal 2024, equating to a nation-leading $36,293 per pupil — about double the national average.