The numbers don’t add up! New York City is already dumping a record $43 billion into its public schools while spending heaps more per student than any other large US district — despite plummeting enrollment and mediocre test results. The massive price tag for educating Big Apple students could grow even more as Mayor Zohran Mamdani is finalizing his first budget proposal and as the city is already spending $44,000 per student — an unsustainable level of spending, budget watchdogs and education analysts said.
The spending is also unacceptable given Big Apple students’ middle-of-the-pack showing among urban school districts on standardized math and English exams, experts said. “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.
