New York City leadership is excited to see some improvement in reading and math scores for public school students in grades K-5, especially along race and ethnic lines.
“As we close out this school year, we are proud to be able to share early results on our citywide investment in evidence-based reading and mathematics instruction for our students — delivering the education our children deserve,” said Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos in a joint statement.
The city’s Department of Education (DOE) released data based on screener results and assessments from the Spring 2024-2025 school year, showing that reading scores on average increased by 2.5 points and initial math scores increased by 3.2 points for grades K-5. The results are compared to recent years and the national median percentage of students.
In terms of race and ethnicity, there were overall small improvements across the board. For reading, Asian students increased an average of 1.6 points, Black students increased an average of 2.6 points, Hispanic students increased an average of 2.6 points, and white students increased an average of 2.6 points. For math, Asian students increased an average of 2.3 points, Black students increased an average of 3.1 points, Hispanic students increased an average of 3.4 points, and white students increased an average of 3.5 points.
Historically, the city’s public school system has always grappled with racial disparities in math and reading scores for Black and Brown students. However, studies from 2022 show that the COVID-19 pandemic caused historic learning setbacks for most kids in the fourth and eighth grades — widening racial disparities both locally and nationally. Across the country, reading scores dropped to 1992 levels and math scores saw their largest decrease ever. Nearly four in 10 eighth graders failed to grasp basic math concepts.
“Any gain for New York City is a great thing, so now we need to sit down and analyze the data and see what areas we have growth in, what areas we should be working on, what districts had the most gain, and be laser focused on areas on areas where students fell short,” said Councilmember Rita Joseph, who is the City Council education chair.
The city and DOE has attributed this initial showing of success to the NYC Reads literacy initiative and NYC Solves mathematics curriculum. Adams and former Schools Chancellor David Banks decided to implement the programs in 2023. They promised the new curriculum would improve literacy, reading, and basic algebra instruction. Most teachers seemed to agree at the time, but were a little unsure about the rollout.
The initiatives started out with 15 selected ‘phase one’ school districts and then 17 school districts in ‘phase two.’ This year, Adams announced that they would be expanding both programs to 186 additional schools across 14 districts for the 2025-2026 school year based on the early uptick in scores.
“When you go to school as an educator, no one teaches you the science of reading,” said Joseph. “We’re teaching the science of reading. How kids learn how to read, and when they do, how do we get them to understand.”
For the most part, educators and advocates in the city are also excited to see early results.
“The newly released NYC Reads screener data sends a clear message: students are making real, measurable progress — and it’s thanks to the tireless collaboration amongNYCPS [New York City Public Schools] leadership, the UFT [United Federation of Teachers], the city’s educators, parents, and the broader community,” said Marielys Divanne, executive director of Educators for Excellence–New York (E4E-NY). “They’ve embraced high-quality materials and professional learning through NYC Reads, and it’s paying off.”
Divanne stated that it’s rare and “groundbreaking” to see the nation’s largest and most complex school system show gains this early among young learners and for students with disabilities. Research shows it typically takes 3–5 years to see academic results from curriculum shifts, she said. This can be attributed to the fact that NYC Reads and Solves are backed by research showing high quality instructional materials coupled with aligned professional learning, said Divanne.
Additionally, E4E-NY spent the past year surveying educators on NYC Reads and NYC Solves. They consistently heard educators say that they positively viewed the curricular materials and that the curriculum gets better with time.
“It’s no surprise we’re seeing gains when schools use research-backed programs like NYC Reads and Solves,” said Crystal McQueen-Taylor, executive director at StudentsFirstNY. “Parents across the city have been demanding higher quality education for their kids and now we are beginning to see positive results. Given the persistent disparities in outcomes for Black students, we hope the next administration will maintain and expand programs like these.”