More than half of New York’s third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students failed to reach reading proficiency on this year’s state English Language Arts exams, according to newly released preliminary data, raising fresh concerns about student achievement despite record levels of education spending, the NY Post reports.

Figures published this week by the New York State Education Department show that 57% of third graders, 52% of fourth graders, and 57% of fifth graders did not achieve proficiency on the 2025-26 ELA assessments.

Students in New York City experienced an even steeper decline. Among children in grades 3 through 8, English Language Arts scores dropped by six percentage points compared with last year, leaving only about half of students meeting the state’s proficiency benchmark.

Statewide, just 48% of students in grades 4 through 8 earned proficient scores in reading, representing what the Education Department described as a “significant” five-point decline from the previous year.

Fifth graders experienced the sharpest setback of any grade level, with reading proficiency falling by an astonishing 14 percentage points.

The downturn was even more pronounced in New York City, home to roughly 40% of the state’s public school enrollment.

Just one year earlier, approximately 56% of city students passed the reading exam, marking a seven-point improvement over the prior year.

Third graders in New York City posted the weakest results, with proficiency plunging 13.8 percentage points as only about 44% met state standards. Fifth graders followed closely behind, recording a 13.1-point decline.

Although the state data do not identify the precise reading skills where students struggled most, education policy experts argued that the disappointing results reflect systemic problems that cannot be solved simply by increasing education funding without changing instructional methods.

“If the amount of money spent alone determined the results, New York should be on top of the world,” Zilvinas Silenas, the president and CEO of the Empire Center for Public Policy, told The Post.

Silenas said New York’s schools include pockets of exceptional performance that should serve as models for the rest of the system. “I’m not trying to say that all of New York’s education system is bad. On average, it’s very mediocre, but we have some islands of excellence,” Silenas said. “Why aren’t we copying these islands of excellence on what they’re doing in order to improve?”

According to Empire Center data, New York spends approximately $37,000 per public school student each year—the highest figure in the nation and roughly double the national average of about $17,619.

In New York City, annual spending climbs even higher, reaching roughly $44,000 per student.

Education officials say fifth graders are expected to demonstrate the ability to “comprehend and analyze text,” including identifying central ideas, recognizing literary techniques, evaluating character and plot development, and understanding vocabulary.

One question on this year’s fifth-grade exam asked students to determine the meaning of the phrase “going live” as it appeared in a passage about a student-operated blog. Students were asked to choose from four possible definitions:
A) making the content available to all
B) announcing the project to the school
C) requesting feedback from others
D) accessing the new computer system

Students in fifth grade were also required to write short responses analyzing the impact of tone in poetry, identifying themes in stories, and demonstrating other reading comprehension skills.

Charter schools, which receive public funding but operate independently of traditional public school systems, continued to outperform district schools despite ongoing opposition from teachers unions.

Success Academy, one of New York’s largest charter school networks, achieved a 92% passing rate on the 2025 English Language Arts exam, trailing only the public schools in Scarsdale.

Students performed somewhat better in mathematics, with roughly 57% of children in grades 3 through 8 passing the state math assessment—a slight improvement over last year’s results.

Although officials cautioned that the numbers remain preliminary, the state Education Department acknowledged that the decline in reading achievement is unmistakable.

“The Department takes this decline seriously and will conduct a detailed analysis to better understand where students are experiencing challenges, which student groups and communities have been most affected, and where additional support and resources are needed,” said JP O’Hare, a spokesperson for the department.

O’Hare said the agency intends to address the disappointing results directly rather than minimize them. “We will not minimize or attempt to explain away what the data tell us. When scores increase, we report that progress. When they decline, we report that as well,” O’Hare said. “Our responsibility is not to create a narrative around the results, but to understand them, identify where students need additional support, and act accordingly.”

The disappointing scores come despite Gov. Kathy Hochul approving the largest education budget in New York history.

For the 2026-27 school year, the state is allocating a record $39.3 billion to public education, including funding aimed at expanding teacher training in what officials describe as “evidence-based math and reading instruction.”

A spokesperson for Hochul said improving literacy has been one of the governor’s chief education priorities.

“She specifically directed the State Education Department to place a heavy focus on reading proficiency, improve literacy instruction, and ensure schools have the tools and resources needed to help students succeed,” the spokesperson said.

“The governor will continue pushing for measurable improvements in literacy outcomes statewide because every New York student deserves a strong foundation in reading.”

Fordham University political science professor Nick Tampio argued that New York should abandon programs that have failed to produce results and instead invest in proven educational fundamentals.

“Hire skilled teachers. Provide schools with libraries. Give children time to read the books they want. Make reading a joy,” he told The Post.

He added, “New York’s approach is failing—as evidenced by the fact that over one fifth of SUNY students are failing their first English class.”

Eric Nadelstern, who served as deputy schools chancellor under then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg, argued that recent literacy initiatives—including the NYC Reads program introduced under Mayor Eric Adams—have hindered rather than helped student progress.

“There is no one-way for all kids to learn how to read,” Nadelstern told The Post.

He warned against applying identical teaching methods across a school system as diverse as New York City’s. “If you try a one-size-fits-all in a city as diverse as New York, — where students have such different needs and ways of learning and teachers have such different needs and ways of teaching — you’re gonna wind up alienating the staff and they’re gonna implement the program poorly,” he said.

Nadelstern added that educators achieve better results when given flexibility to tailor instruction to individual students. “If you allow them to do what they do best — that is to determine how the students they know by name and family and neighborhood can learn best — they will do whatever is necessary to make sure their kids succeed.”

Despite the disappointing scores, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels both expressed support for the NYC Reads initiative when commenting on the newly released results.

“As we review these initial statewide results, and what they mean for our students, we will focus on better understanding the scoring process to use this data with confidence and make the best decisions for our students,” Mamdani said.

Mary Vaccaro, vice president of education for the United Federation of Teachers, also attributed the decline to changes in curriculum and instructional strategies, including the rollout of the “NY Inspires” initiative, which allows students to satisfy graduation requirements through alternatives to traditional Regents examinations.

“We have to refocus on what we know works in literacy – a clear plan, a tailored science of reading curriculum, and meaningful professional development for educators. That recipe yields results,” Vaccaro said.

She concluded by criticizing the state’s recent approach to education reform. “This past school year, the system abandoned that approach and, with no real plan in place, simply piled on additional programs, assessments, consultant’s recommendations and curriculum in the hopes that ‘more’ would equal better, and we lost ground.”