New York City’s Education Crisis Deepens as 43% of Public Schools Grossly Fail Students Despite $36,000 Per Child Spending

More than 900 New York City public schools are failing to adequately teach math and English despite the nation’s highest per-student education spending, according to a report commissioned by Success Academy founder and CEO Eva Moskowitz.

Moskowitz stated that 43% of New York City schools—spending more per student than any other location globally—are “grossly failing” children. She noted the city allocates $36,000 annually per child, yet this translates to approximately 400,000 students in underperforming schools.

“The crisis in American education has implications for global prosperity and national security,” Moskowitz emphasized. “We have to get our act together and decide that children are our most precious resource.”

The report found 43% of New York City’s public schools are classified as “grossly failing” students. Moskowitz described the issue as avoidable, stating: “I wrote this report because it doesn’t have to be this way.”

When asked about New York City’s $40 billion expenditure on public education in 2024—more than double the national average per student—Moskowitz responded: “Our expectations are too low. This is America. We have a can-do attitude, or we should, when it comes to our children learning at high levels. But unfortunately, it’s almost like we have educational defeatism that has just covered the nation.”

Moskowitz contrasted Success Academy’s approach with traditional public schools, highlighting phonics instruction, daily reading for 30 minutes per child from kindergarten through high school, and strict discipline. Students are taught “please and thank you,” required to wear uniforms, and encouraged to embrace values she described as “some pretty old-fashioned.”

Parental involvement was identified by Moskowitz as critical to success: “We don’t believe that schools can educate children without parents. Parents are the customer.” She noted every parent has direct contact information for teachers, principals, and assistant principals, enabling unannounced classroom visits.

The report highlights Success Academy’s academic achievements: 95% of seniors pass three or more Advanced Placement exams, and about 70% of middle school students score at high academic levels.

Moskowitz attributed the failure to low expectations fostered by teachers’ unions and education bureaucracies: “There’s a bigotry of low expectations. The teachers union on the one hand, and the bureaucracy on the other, conspire against children and families.” She also defended Success Academy’s larger class sizes, noting they allow for activities like chess, art, music, dance, and athletics without compromising academic results: “Small class sizes have not proven to increase achievement. We’ve shown that with large class sizes, we are number one in the entire state of New York in mathematics and number two in reading.”

Success Academy currently serves approximately 22,000 students across New York City. Moskowitz urged policymakers to follow parental lead in embracing school choice: “We need elected officials to get on board.”