SYRACUSE, NY — Public school enrollment in New York is lower than it’s been since the early 90s, according to data compiled over a 10 year period by the Empire Center, a public policy non-profit organization in Albany.
Check out an interactive map showing the change in each school district below:
“We’re going in the opposite direction of the rest of the country. So, it puts us in stark contrast with enrollment trends,” said Peter Murphy, a Senior Fellow for Education at the Empire Center.
Murphy says that there are multiple factors that contribute to the decline.
“People are generally having smaller households, fewer children, while at the same time the state’s economic problems have led to a competitive challenge where people are leaving,” Murphy said.
Overall, Murphy attributes much of the enrollment decrease to people moving out of New York.
The enrollment decrease might be a cause of concern for parents, as Murphy says that many times when enrollment drops so does state funding and the number of resources available to a school.
“When there’s not as much money to give out in a given year, then some are going to get less than others based on their student enrollment.”
To read more on the study, click here.
© 2019 NBC 3
You may also like
It’s never simple arithmetic with schools
Earlier this week, the Empire Center did its own report on the plummeting numbers when it comes to students. Overall, the 2019-20 enrollment is at its lowest levels in New York state in the last 30 years. Read More
EDITORIAL: State schools continue spending more for less
As reported by the Empire Center last week, “The number of students enrolled in New York state public schools is the lowest recorded in 30 years.”
Since 2000, enrollment in public schools has declined by more than 10 percent statewide with most of it upstate as enrollment in New York City schools has increased 1.3 percent in the last 10 years. Students are not leaving to go to private or parochial schools either because they, too, are showing declines, down about 8 percent in the last decade. Read More
Soon it will be the 1950s again as enrollment continues to drop in New York schools
Mount Morris had the highest increase among any district outside of New York City, according to a report released Tuesday by The Empire Center for Public Policy in Albany. Read More
Report: Enrollment In New York State Schools Lowest Since Early 1990s
According to a report from the Empire Center released Wednesday, public school enrollment statewide for the 2018-2019 school year has decreased to levels not seen since the early 1990s. The last school year saw a drop alone of 30,338 pupils from the previous school year. Read More
Public school enrollment is increasing in New York City, report finds
The report -- released Tuesday by Empire Center, an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank based in Albany -- found that 100 districts in the state’s nearly 700 public school districts had increased enrollment from 2008-2009 to 2018-2019, including New York City’s five boroughs. Read More
NY public schools have lowest enrollment in decades: study
Where have all the kids gone?
The number of students enrolled in New York state public schools is the lowest recorded in 30 years, a new Empire Center for Public Policy study released Tuesday reveals. Read More
New tenant protections likely for Capital Region
"You don't need to throw another regulatory obstacle on upstate New York," said E.J. McMahon, research director for the fiscally conservative Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More
Economic inequality continues rising in Capital Region, U.S.
Opponents of a higher minimum wage, like the Empire Center for Public Policy, have argued that a gradual minimum wage increase would increase employer overhead and cost the state up to 200,000 jobs — and at least 11,000 in the Capital Region alone. Read More
Enjoying our work? Sign up for email alerts on our latest news and research.