{"id":4921,"date":"2026-07-20T10:39:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T10:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4921"},"modified":"2026-07-20T10:39:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T10:39:35","slug":"new-york-leads-nation-in-school-spending-despite-12-fewer-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4921","title":{"rendered":"New York leads nation in school spending \u2014 despite 12% fewer students"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

New York is spending more on education than any state in the nation despite shrinking schools and 12% fewer students than 15 years ago, an eye-opening new report found.<\/p>\n

Read more Lionel Messi, Argentina players all skip post-match interviews after poor showing in World Cup loss<\/a><\/p>\n

Empire State enrollment could see another double-digit decrease by 2031 as population growth stagnates and birth rates plummet \u2014 which would mean New York is shedding students faster than anywhere in the US except California and New Mexico, according to the report by budget watchdog the Citizens Budget Commission. <\/p>\n

The reckoning will force policymakers to consider controversial decisions: closing or merging schools and reducing staff or continuing to prop up facilities with a dearth of students, the report said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPublic school enrollment has declined in every region over the past decade, reflecting broader demographic trends and slower population growth,\u201d the CBC said in its \u201cValue Proposition Tracker\u201d analysis.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnrollment declines have been particularly pronounced outside the New York City metropolitan area, creating new challenges for school districts as they balance staffing, facilities, and educational programming with fewer students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall, statewide public school enrollment declined by 322,808 students to 2.38 million, the CBC analysis found.<\/p>\n

New York City had the smallest decline in the state at 7.1%, thanks to the increase in students at charter schools.<\/p>\n

There are 930,272 students in the city public school system, a drop of 188,864 students from a decade ago, when it had more than 1.1 million students, according to the report.<\/p>\n

But the city also has 109,463 more students in charter schools, which helped limit the rate of decline compared to school districts in the rest of the state.<\/p>\n

Still, under-enrolled city public schools remain an issue.<\/p>\n

More than 800 schools out of the roughly 1,800 in the system have fewer than 400 students, while 241 had fewer than 200 students enrolled, the report found.<\/p>\n

The politicians have contributed to the problem by holding such schools \u201charmless\u201d \u2014 maintaining their level of funding despite the districts having fewer students, critics said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFailing schools rob children of their futures,\u201d said a recent report put out by the Success Academy charter school network. \u201cUnder-enrolled schools drain the budget for no return.<\/p>\n

In other parts of the state, enrollment was in free fall:<\/p>\n