Public schools in New York

The NCES directory lists 4,810 public schools operating in New York in 2024-25; 4,767 of them reported 2,493,654 students, averaging 11.4 students per teacher, the 44th highest of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is New York City Geographic District #31, with 56,577 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools4,7672,546 elementary, 777 middle, 1,195 high, 249 other
Students2,493,6545.1% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher11.4U.S. 15.3

New York has fewer students per teacher than the U.S. average

New York ranks 44th of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. Massachusetts12.0
  2. Montana11.6
  3. New Jersey11.6
  4. New York11.4
  5. Vermont11.1
  6. District of Columbia11.0
  7. New Hampshire11.0

Eight in ten larger New York districts spent between $21,039 and $34,889 per student

Among the 440 New York districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $21,039 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $34,889; the median was $26,567. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, New York districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23440 values from $17,177 to $51,324; ; state median $26,567.$21,039$34,889the middle eight in ten1 more above $50,000 →$10k$20k$30k$40k$50kcurrent spending per studentstate median $26,567
Current spending per student, New York districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23440 values from $17,177 to $51,324; ; state median $26,567.$21,039$34,889the middle eight in ten1 more above $50,000 →$10k$20k$30k$40k$50kcurrent spending per studentstate median $26,567
Current spending per student, New York districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23440 values from $17,177 to $51,324; ; state median $26,567.$21,039$34,889the middle eight in ten1 more above $50,000 →$10k$20k$30k$40k$50kcurrent spending per studentstate median $26,567
Current spending per student, New York districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23440 values from $17,177 to $51,324; ; state median $26,567.$21,039$34,889the middle eight in ten1 more above $50,000 →$10k$20k$30k$40k$50kcurrent spending per studentstate median $26,567

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 53% of the New York students tested met the state's reading standard and 52% its math standard. New York writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare New York's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 87.2% of 202,009 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the New York almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Brooklyn Technical High School, 5,848 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Cattaraugus-Allegany-Erie-Wyoming BOCES, 3.0 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Onteora Central School District, $48,608 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: North Merrick Union Free School District, $176,270 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Mamaroneck Avenue School, 0.3% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: North Salem Middle School/High School, 69 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Syosset Central School District, 64.3 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in New York

  1. New York City Geographic District #3156,577
  2. New York City Geographic District # 254,227
  3. New York City Geographic District #2448,008
  4. New York City Geographic District #2043,965
  5. New York City Geographic District #1040,232
  6. New York City Geographic District #2739,209
  7. New York City Geographic District #2836,340
  8. New York City Geographic District #3034,908

Every New York school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Brooklyn289,768 students567 schools
  2. Bronx200,471 students455 schools
  3. New York149,259 students348 schools
  4. Rochester53,063 students99 schools
  5. Staten Island62,254 students87 schools
  6. Buffalo45,168 students86 schools
  7. Jamaica29,771 students49 schools
  8. Syracuse26,398 students46 schools
  9. Flushing33,699 students45 schools
  10. Yonkers23,942 students39 schools
  11. Long Island City28,523 students39 schools
  12. Albany17,802 students34 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about New York's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in New York?
    The NCES directory lists 4,810 operating in 2024-25; 4,767 of them reported students: 2,546 elementary, 777 middle, 1,195 high and 249 other, enrolling 2,493,654 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in New York?
    11.4 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in New York?
    New York City Geographic District #31, with 56,577 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does New York spend per public-school student?
    $29,606 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .