After juvenile detention, many NYC students struggle to reengage with school, report finds

"Court-involved youth held in juvenile detention facilities and group homes managed by the Administration for Children's Services, the city's child welfare agency, are entitled to schooling through an Education Department program called Passages Academy. Those programs tend to receive little public scrutiny, though they serve some of the city's most vulnerable students. In 2023, City Council passed a law requiring officials to release a trove of data about the program."

"Over the past two school years, 1,850 students enrolled in Passages Academy. More than 60% were Black, more than 92% were boys, and virtually all were from low-income families, according to an enrollment snapshots from October 2023 and 2024. (About a quarter of all children in middle and high school are Black and 78% come from low-income families.) Nearly half of all students in Passages had a disability, more than twice the rate across the school system."

Court-involved youth in juvenile detention facilities and Administration for Children's Services group homes receive schooling through an Education Department program called Passages Academy. Enrollment snapshots from October 2023 and 2024 show 1,850 students over two school years, with more than 60% Black, over 92% boys, and virtually all from low-income families. Nearly half of Passages students had a documented disability, more than twice the citywide rate. Eighteen percent of Passages students received an emotional disability classification compared with about 1% in middle and high schools citywide. Passages programs receive little public scrutiny despite serving vulnerable students, and a City Council law required release of detailed data.

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