New York is not the only major city in the country with absolutely dismal teaching results in its public schools, but these results are so bad that officials not only need to take notice but also need to get back to teaching the basic curriculum in a manner consistent with results-based learning.

The only cure for this illness is common sense and the honest-to-God teaching of the basics

When Mamdani was elected Mayor of the city, his priorities were well known. You didn’t have to be psychic to predict the indoctrination of hatred toward Israel, and endless pro-Hamas nonsense would be high on his agenda. He was fascinated by mythical ideals like free bus rides, taxing the rich, and government-run grocery stores, all of which are doomed to fail spectacularly.

One thing that wasn’t high on his agenda was actually educating the children within the city. Not inflating grades by kowtowing to every whim regarding race or gender that the wind blows through, or worrying about indoctrinating kids with the myth that changing their gender is possible, and that sports teams, bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers aren’t birth sex specific.

No. The only cure for this illness is common sense and the honest-to-God teaching of the basics, which the kids can use as a foundation for the rest of their lives

That hasn’t been happening in New York for a long time, and if those of you who voted for Mamdani thought he was going to change anything for the better, then I hate to say this, but you are as delusional as he is.

Researchers at Success Academy, a charter school network based in New York City, reported their findings.

"Despite New York City’s international reputation as an economic power and cultural influencer, the city’s public school system, funded at twice the average rate of other American school districts, has struggled for decades to deliver results that at best are mediocre."

Mediocre? That’s being way too kind. According to the report, 906 public schools in New York City have a majority of students who do not pass state reading and math tests.

That means over 400,000 public school students in New York City are enrolled in schools where fewer than half of the students passed state exams in math, reading, or both.

New York's public schools are failing: This is a genuine horror story

The Success Academy report was released following data from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) for the 2024-2025 test scores for grades 3 through 8. The NYSED claimed that the assessment results showed "meaningful signs of improvement." According to the state's official report card, 57 percent of students in grades 3 through 8 were considered proficient in math, while 53 percent met the proficiency standards in English Language Arts (ELA).

While Mamdani fixates on imposing sharia, demonizes Jews, and drives businesses and producers out of New York, an entire generation of children is being condemned to failure.

This is a genuine horror story. New York's public schools are failing, and the city's left-wing political class is too focused on radical agendas to save its own children. It’s not even a priority.

Critics highlight the disparity between New York City's substantial educational budget and the results it yields. For the 2024 fiscal year, the city allocated approximately $40 billion for public education, equating to a staggering $36,293 per pupil—about twice the national average. The report strongly criticized city officials for how they allocated these resources.

The report states:

"The city is now committed to billions more to fund a class-size mandate that the evidence does not support, while propping up hundreds of vacant schools that drain resources at a premium rate with no return. Meanwhile, the students most harmed by this failure attend the same schools that have been failing since before many of them were born."

Success Academy asserts that these specific findings have not been compiled previously. Representatives from the charter network informed Fox News Digital that their staff dedicated several months to analyzing primary public records. This analysis included NYSED accountability data dating back to 2012, as well as NYC school quality reports, expenditure files, and standardized test results.

Defending  the incompetence

Making matters worse, New York City is facing a persistent truancy crisis. According to the report, approximately 35 percent of public-school students—around 300,000 children—were identified as "chronically absent" during the school year. This means they missed at least 10 percent of the required school days.

In response to the report, the NYSED sent a CYA statement to Fox News Digital.

"It is the New York State Education Department’s responsibility to meet schools where they are so that every student, regardless of zip code, has an opportunity to succeed. Success Academy’s report is a vehicle to detract from its attempts to circumvent the New York City charter cap and promote its academic achievements by comparing one limited data sample to another. The department’s assessment and accountability data have always been available to the public.”

"NYSED has continually modified its reporting tools and data presentations to improve accessibility and usability for families, educators, and community stakeholders through the school report card, which is publicly available on the NYSED website."

"These enhancements were designed to make complex information more understandable and meaningful. Additionally, the report fails to acknowledge that there was no assessment data in 2020 and significantly limited data in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic."

You can always tell when a report cuts close to the bone because multiple people try to defend the incompetence.

In addition to the NYSED spokesperson, another NYC Public School official also tried to refute Success Academy's report, telling Fox News Digital:

"At New York City Public Schools, we have the privilege and responsibility of educating every child who comes through our doors--students new to our city, learning English for the first time, students with disabilities who haven’t received the care they need elsewhere, and students struggling in their classes, who need a teacher who refuses to give up on them."

"We are proud of the gains that have been made in reading and math across schools and demographics this past year, the strides that have been made in preparing students for success after graduation, and the head start we are delivering for thousands of children across the city through universal childcare. This is the true, honest work that school leaders and educators in every borough are doing every day, and we are proud to stand by them."

Failure in the nation’s largest public school system

These people are truly delusional. What they are doing is failing miserably, and all they can do is make excuses.

The analysis revealed that about a third of the 906 schools have appeared on state “accountability” lists since 2012, and some have been designated as failures for decades.

Rather than addressing the issue directly, the strong criticism argues that city and state policies have exacerbated the situation by neglecting to confront the scandal or attempting to conceal it.

The report, titled “By Any Honest Measure,” states:

“These are not accidents. They are the product of a system that has chosen, year after year, to protect itself rather than serve its students.”

“Imagine a hospital where more than half of patients died from routine procedures. A fire department that failed to respond to more than half its calls. A municipal water utility that delivered contaminated water to more than half its residents, or air traffic controllers whose lack of oversight regularly resulted in massive casualties.”

“No other public institution would be permitted to operate in this way.”

Still, the level of failure in the nation’s largest public school system “has been normalized and, worse, systematically obscured.”

Eva Moskowitz, head of Success Academy, stated that the report represents the most thorough review to date of schools that consistently underperform.

The report also criticized New York policymakers and educators for rewarding failure by allocating more funds to low-performing schools with declining enrollment.

According to the analysis, based on test scores, 34 percent of elementary students attend failing schools, rising to 49 percent for middle schoolers and 62 percent for high schoolers.

In many cases, students are routed from a failing elementary school to a failing middle school to a failing high school.

New York is decimating the future of millions of children. Their woke destroy America agenda doesn’t involve real education. One of the central goals of the Democrats is to produce uneducated, unthinking, highly programmed, and obedient zombies.

Democrats and the far left aren’t educating children; they are creating unthinking, uncaring activists who can’t communicate what’s on their minds because none of the thoughts are their own.

Milt Harris——Bio and Archives

Milt spent thirty years as a sales and operations manager for an international manufacturing company. He is also a four-time published author on a variety of subjects. Now, he spends most of his time researching and writing about conservative politics and liberal folly.