K-12 SOS is a pilot project of the Empire Center to inform parents, politicians, and decision-makers about the state of K-12 education in New York State. Determining why certain schools perform better than others is beyond the scope of this research. School size, proportion of economically disadvantaged students, per-pupil spending, and school type likely play a role in the performance of schools and districts. All data used in this report can be found in our K-12 SOS interactive database here.

Summary 

New York State. New York spends $30,012 per student, more than any other state or country. Based on preliminary data, the number is expected to approach $35,000 in 2025-26. This is double the U.S. average, with little evidence of a corresponding return in student achievement.

New York’s schools perform on par with the national average in Grade 4 reading but trail behind in mathematics. In either case, New York is outperformed by states that spend significantly less to educate one pupil.

Rochester City School District. In mathematics, Rochester scores significantly below the New York state average, with only 12% of students achieving proficiency compared to the state average of 52%. In English Language Arts (ELA), Rochester also performs poorly, with an average proficiency rate of 16%, compared to the New York state average of 48%.

The school district spends $30,715 per pupil per year and ranks close to New York average.

Schools in Rochester. Most schools in Rochester perform below the New York average in ELA and Mathematics. Only eight schools exceed the state average in ELA proficiency, and only six do so in mathematics.

New York State

New York State leads the nation in education spending, allocating $30,012 per student in fiscal year 2023—more than any other state and more than any other country. Preliminary data for 2025–26 shows the figure climbing toward $35,000 per student.

New York spends twice the national average and one-third more than Massachusetts, which ranks first in K–12 education outcomes.

New York has consistently spent more on education than other states. Over the past 50 years, inflation-adjusted per-student spending grew by 170 percent nationwide—but in New York, it surged by 209 percent.

Moreover, student enrollment in New York’s public schools is steadily declining. Over the past decade, public school enrollment has fallen by 300,000 students—a 13% while charter schools have gained 80,000 students. If this trend continues and the overall student population shrinks, the per-student cost of education will keep rising unless meaningful reforms are made.

Based on the Nation’s Report Card, in 2024, New York’s schools scored below the U.S. average in Grade 4 mathematics, both in terms of average scores and proficiency rates. New York had an average score of 234 compared to 237 for the U.S.

Notably, several states leading the Grade 4 Mathematics rankings, including Utah and Florida, are among the states with the lowest per-pupil spending.

From 1992 to 2009, New York’s student performance consistently surpassed the national average. However, Grade 4 math scores began to slip in the 2010s and declined sharply during the COVID pandemic—dropping 10 points in New York compared to a 5-point decline nationwide.

For Grade 8, New York’s performance was also mediocre: average score of 271, compared to the U.S. average of 272.

New York’s schools rank slightly above the national average in reading yet fall well behind Massachusetts and New Jersey—two states that achieve stronger results while spending considerably less per student.

Notably, Utah ranks third in performance despite spending just $10,333 per student. Similarly, Mississippi—one of the nation’s poorest states—spends $12,093 and still delivers better results.

It is worth noting that New York’s Grade 4 Reading scores used to exceed the U.S. average in the 2000s. However, in 2010s, New York’s scores began to dip and then fell sharply during the COVID epidemic. New York fell by 6 points, while the U.S. dropped by an average of 3 points.

Similar dynamics can be observed in Grade 8 Reading average scores, except there was no such drastic dip during COVID.

Rochester City School District

The Rochester City school district spends $30,715 per pupil per year and ranks 348th, spending close to the average school district in the state of New York. Note, however, that due to differences in data sources, the numbers on spending among states, schools, and school districts cannot be directly compared to one another.

Rochester City SD ranks 668th in mathematics and 665th in English (ELA). Note that the thresholds used to compare proficiency levels among states differ from those used later in this report when comparing performance among New York’s school districts.

In mathematics, Rochester scores significantly below the New York state average, with only 12% of students achieving proficiency compared to the state average of 52%.

In English Language Arts (ELA) Rochester’s average proficiency rate is 16%, compared to the state average of 48%.

Schools in Rochester

Most schools in Rochester perform below the New York average in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics. Only one school in the district exceeds the New York average.

Similarly, only three schools have proficiency rates greater than the New York average in mathematics.

Determining why certain schools perform better than others is beyond the scope of this research. School size, the proportion of economically disadvantaged students, per-pupil spending, and school type are likely to play a role in schools’ overall performance.

Notes and clarifications

Data Notes. The Per Pupil Expenditure (PPE) at the school district level includes central administrative costs for the operations of the school district. These costs are not included in the school’s PPE. Therefore, PPE at the school level is comparatively lower than at the school district level. Spending on individual schools should not be compared to spending in school districts for the PPE data.

Main data sources

Per-pupil spending in the U.S.: United States Census Bureau, 2023 Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finance Data

Per-pupil-spending globally: National Center for Education Statistics, Education Expenditures by Country; Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Education at a Glance 2023

U.S. states’ performance in Grade 4 Reading and Mathematics: National Assessment of Educational Progress, Nation’s Report Card, 2024 State Profiles.

Per Pupil Expenditures for school districts collected from New York State Education Department (NYSED) School Data Fiscal Profiles 2022-23.

Proficiency Rates for School Districts collected from the 2022-23 NYSED School Report Card.

Proficiency rates and per-pupil expenditures for individual schools collected from the 2022-23 NYSED School Report Card.

Enrollment data for economically disadvantaged students are taken from NYSED.

Additional data sources

New York Per-pupil-spending for 2025-26: Empire Center, School Districts Plan To Spend Over $35K Per Student, Outpacing Inflation, based on New York State Department of Education, New York State Property Tax Report Card

Per-pupil-spending historic data: National Center for Education Statistics, Current expenditures per pupil in average daily attendance in public elementary and secondary schools, by state or jurisdiction

New York Public School Enrollment data: NYSED Information and Reporting Services