Celebrating early wins: NYC's public school students reading and math scores tick up

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 racial and ethnic lines.

- By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

"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.