All topics / Building Human Potential / Department of Education
Students in grades 3 to 8 meeting or exceeding standards – Math (%)
Educate New York City’s children to become productive, engaged adults. — Improve academic achievement.
Part of this rise reflects a change in what's being measured, not just student performance: New York State redesigned its grades 3-8 math and ELA tests in 2023 to align with new learning standards, and state officials said scores from 2022 and earlier are not directly comparable to 2023 and later. Independent reporting has also found the state has lowered the score needed to be rated 'proficient' in most years since 2023, so some of the continued increase through Fiscal 2025 may reflect an easier scoring bar rather than purely higher achievement, even as the city credits its NYC Reads and NYC Solves curriculum initiatives for the gains.
Researched July 16, 2026 — NYC Public Schools, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report, Chalkbeat New York, "NY state tests for grades 3-8 are changing again. Here's what to know.", Empire Center for Public Policy, "As Math and Reading Proficiency Went Up, 'Cut Scores' Went Down"
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 37.9% | 51.7% |
| FY23 | 49.9% | 47.6% |
| FY24 | 53.4% | 47% |
| FY25 | 56.9% | 52% |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | 58% |
Why this is tracked
New York's system of free public education began with the 1805 charter of the Free School Society, a group founded with backing from DeWitt Clinton to educate poor children not served by religious schools. New York State's first compulsory school-attendance law followed in 1874, though it was only unevenly enforced for decades afterward. Today's DOE, the largest school system in the country, continues that basic premise established over two centuries ago: that educating the city's children is a shared civic obligation, not just a private family matter.
Untapped New York - New York Launches the Public School System (1805), Encyclopedia.com - New York Free School Society, 1805
Source: New York State Department of Education (NYSED); New York City Public Schools Office of Policy and Evaluation (OPE) — via NYC Open Data: Mayor's Management Report, Agency Performance Indicators
Coverage shown: FY22–FY26, reported annually.
Definition: The percent of general and special education students who meet the learning standard in Math for their grade by performing at Level 3 (Proficient) or higher on the New York State Education Department's assessment for grades 3-8. Scores are on a scale ranging from Level 1, below basic proficiency level, through Level 4, the advanced level.