Mayor Adams, Chancellor Aviles-Ramos Celebrate Grades 3–8 State Test Score Data Showing Increased Proficiency for 2024–2025 School Year

August 11, 2025

English Language Arts Proficiency Increased 7.2 Points, Math Proficiency Increased 3.5 Points

City Proficiency Rates Higher Than New York State, Reached Highest Level Since 2012

Increases Align with Citywide Investment in Evidence-Based Reading Instruction for Public School Students

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos today celebrated newly-released test data from the state showing a substantial increase in reading and math scores for public school children, grades 3 through 8, in the 2024-2025 school year. New York state data shows the overall percentage of New York City students meeting the state’s bar for English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency increased by 7.2 points since 2024, from 49.1 percent to 56.3 percent. In math, the overall percentage of proficient students in New York City increased by 3.5 points since 2024, from 53.4 percent to 56.9 percent. These rates are higher than New York state in both math and ELA and reflect the highest percentage of students meeting proficiency standards, as set by New York state Education Department since 2012. New York City Public Schools’ analysis also shows that reading and math scores increased across all grades, with the largest gains coming in grades 3 and 5 in ELA.

“These academic gains in English Language Arts and math are a testament to what’s possible when we invest in our young people and believe in their potential, and we are proud of our students, teachers, and the entire school community,” said Mayor Adams. “A 7.2 point increase in ELA and a 3.5 point increase in math show growth in the number of students performing above the state — and we’re just getting started. Our administration is committed to continuing this critical work next school year, ensuring every student in our city has access to the education and skills they need to succeed, thrive, and lead.”

“These results show that when we set high expectations for our students and give our educators the right tools, our kids rise to the occasion,” said Public Schools Chancellor Aviles-Ramos. “The gains we’re seeing are proof that initiatives like NYC Reads and NYC Solves are delivering for our children. We are closing gaps, raising achievement in every borough, and making sure more students than ever are on track for long-term success. This is what happens when we stay focused on evidence-based instruction and never lose sight of what’s possible for our young people.”

This growth coincides with the full citywide implementation of NYC Reads, which Mayor Adams launched in 2023 to strengthen literacy. This initiative relies on standardized curriculum implementation across all schools in each district, with curricula options limited to those that are rooted in evidence-based practices. Grounded in the science of reading, NYC Reads Phase 1 schools that have been in the program for two years saw a higher increase — 11.6 percent in grades 3-5 — compared to Phase 2 schools, which increased 10.4 percent.

These increases align with the trends seen with the K-5 academic screener results. These increases reflect accelerated growth from spring-to-spring in the percentage of students above the national median. The screener growth from 2024 to 2025 — an increase of 2.5 points — more than doubled the 0.9-point growth from 2023 to 2024. Schools that were part of Phase 1 of NYC Reads and had two years of curriculum implementation saw an even greater growth of 3.0 percent compared to the 2.3 percent growth for Phase 2 schools that started earlier this year.

In spring 2025, Mayor Adams and Chancellor Aviles-Ramos announced the expansion of NYC Reads and NYC Solves to an additional 186 schools across 14 districts, totaling over 490,000 students benefiting from this critical initiative.

Today’s announcement builds off two years of core educational accomplishments under the Adams administration, including instituting nation-leading dyslexia screening for all students, adding 57 Gifted and Talented programs, opening seven new schools for the 2025-2026 school year alone, helping 8,662 students secure a total of 23,000 job placements through FutureReadyNYC, cementing new labor contracts for teachers and other education officials, investing $167 million in new funding to secure critical early childhood education programs, dramatically increasing early childhood education enrollment to 150,000 children across the city’s system, and securing mayoral accountability twice in three years while investing $180 million to implement a comprehensive class size reduction plan.

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