New York City’s public school system is spending like enrollment is booming.
The problem? Students keep disappearing.
The city is already pouring a staggering $43 billion into public education while spending roughly $44,000 per student — more than any other major urban district in America — even as enrollment plunges and academic performance remains mediocre.
Now critics warn the bill could grow even larger as Mayor Zohran Mamdani prepares his first budget proposal.
“Despite the City spending $44,000 per student, too many of its schools are delivering middling results, and some parents are increasingly choosing charters over traditional public schools,” said Andrew Rein, executive director of the Citizens Budget Commission.
“The City should focus its effort and dollars on student learning and shrink spending that’s not delivering results,” Rein added. “This includes adjusting school funding when enrollment shrinks and combining schools that have shrunk so much that they are no longer cost-effective to run.”
The numbers are brutal.
The Department of Education has nearly 158,000 fewer students than it did a decade ago — yet somehow operates 39 more schools.
About 15% of city schools, or 249 buildings, are running below half capacity. Nearly half of all public schools now enroll fewer than 400 students, including 134 schools with under 150 students.
And the decline is expected to get worse.
A new report from the School Construction Authority projects traditional public school enrollment will plunge by another 153,000 students by the 2034-35 school year, dropping to just over 721,000 students.
“The New York City Department of Education budget keeps going up while the number of students they’re educating continues to decline,” said Manhattan Institute education researcher Daniela Souza.
“School closings and mergers are inevitable.”
But critics say Albany Democrats may be making the problem worse.
The city is struggling to comply with a controversial class-size reduction mandate championed by teachers’ unions and approved by state lawmakers. Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative Democrats are reportedly considering giving the city more time to implement the law amid ongoing budget negotiations.
“The law is unworkable. It’s impossible to implement,” Souza said.
Critics argue the mandate forces the city to spend even more money staffing and maintaining schools despite declining enrollment and growing numbers of half-empty classrooms.
Federal data shows New York City already spends roughly 50% more per student than other large urban districts, including Los Angeles and Chicago.
Yet despite the spending surge, student performance continues to hover around the middle of the pack on standardized math and English exams.
For taxpayers, the question is becoming unavoidable: How much money is enough?
More over at The New York Post:
NYC dumping record $43B into public schools – at whopping $44K per pupil – despite plummeting enrollment, poor test results https://t.co/RCrJi5xffH pic.twitter.com/wimekawfPD
— New York Post (@nypost) May 12, 2026
