A report released by the Success Academy charter-school network identifies significant failures within New York City's public school system, with 906 schools — 43% of the total — identified as "perennial failure factories." These schools collectively enroll 409,379 students, a substantial portion of the city's public school population.
The report, which analyzes school accountability, quality, expenditures, and standardized test results, points to widespread dysfunction, including grade inflation, under-enrolled schools, and a lack of accountability. In 503 of these identified schools, the majority of students have failed to pass both math and reading assessments for up to a decade. Despite increased resources and reform efforts, these schools have not shown improvement.
According to the report's authors, the criteria used to identify failing schools do not foster accountability but rather create eligibility for federal aid. This aid, they argue, is often channeled towards administrative costs rather than directly benefiting students. The authors also highlight the "profound harm done to hundreds of thousands of children" and the high societal cost of this educational deficit, particularly for students in low-income neighborhoods.
New York City's Department of Education is set to receive $38.6 billion this year, an increase of nearly $4 billion from the previous year, despite declining enrollment. The per-student cost has reportedly soared to approximately $49,500, placing it among the highest in the nation.
The Success Academy's analysis concludes that the core issue is not a lack of funding, but a deficit in "honesty — honest measurement, honest reporting, and honest consequences when schools consistently fail." The report suggests that the bureaucracy overseeing the system intentionally obscures failures to protect adults within the system at the expense of students.
The report advocates for increased accountability for the 906 identified schools and suggests expanding parental options through the growth of public charter schools. It proposes removing the charter cap, which is intended to limit competition for union-run schools, as a means to provide better educational alternatives for families. The authors contend that privately run, publicly funded charter schools demonstrate superior results for similar student demographics and at a lower cost, while also maintaining transparency in their data and facing closure if they fail.