K-12 enrollment falls in aging NYS, but charter schools gain | Cornell Chronicle

"Almost 90% of the state's school districts recorded enrollment declines from 2013-14 to 2023-24, as total K-12 enrollment dropped from roughly 3.1 million to 2.8 million students, according to the latest Topics in Demography (TiDbit) research brief released by the Cornell Program on Applied Demographics , part of the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy. The decade also saw shifts in how New York youth are being educated, reflecting growth in school choice and impacts from the pandemic, researchers said."

"In New York City, the state's largest district, the number of students attending traditional public schools fell by 19.1%, or about 187,000 children. That loss was offset slightly by growth in publicly funded charter schools (more than three-quarters of which are in New York city), whose enrollment statewide more than doubled to 6.5%. The share of students being homeschooled also doubled, to 1.8%, and private school enrollment ticked up slightly, to 13.6%."

New York State K-12 enrollment declined from roughly 3.1 million to 2.8 million students between 2013-14 and 2023-24, a loss exceeding a quarter-million students. Almost 90% of school districts recorded enrollment declines. Traditional public school attendance in New York City fell 19.1%, a loss of about 187,000 students, while charter school enrollment statewide more than doubled to 6.5%. Homeschooling doubled to 1.8% and private school enrollment rose slightly to 13.6%. Traditional public schools remain the majority with nearly 4,700 schools compared with 1,800 private and 370 charter schools. The Big Five districts now serve 37% of students, down from 40%.

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