What percentage of students in New York City Department of Education are proficient in math?
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About 33% of 4th graders and 23% of 8th graders were considered proficient in math in 2024, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, assesses 4th and 8th graders’ progress in reading and math approximately every two years.
33%
of New York City Department of Education 4th graders were proficient in math in 2024
23%
of New York City Department of Education 8th graders were proficient in math in 2024
The NAEP uses a scale of 0-500 points to group 4th and 8th grade students into three achievement levels (basic, proficient, or advanced). "Proficient" is the benchmark used to describe students who demonstrate competency with challenging subject matter. However, NAEP proficiency is not the same as being on "grade level," which is often assessed by other state and district tests. More information on NAEP skill expectations at each grade level is available here.
In 2024, 8% of 4th graders in New York City Department of Education were advanced in math and 25% were proficient, which means that about 2 out of 3 (67%) scored at basic or below. In 8th grade, 77% scored at basic or below.
In New York City Department of Education, 4th grade math proficiency scores in 2024 were not significantly different from New York overall. 8th grade proficiency was also not significantly different from the New York average.
In 2024, the percentage of New York City Department of Education 4th graders at a proficient or advanced math level was similar to the New York average.
Percentage of students at each NAEP achievement level in 4th and 8th grade in 2024 in New York City Department of Education and New York
How has math proficiency changed over time?
From this point onward, “proficiency” includes students who were at or above proficient in math (proficient and advanced students).
Among 4th graders, math proficiency in New York City Department of Education was lower than New York in 10 test years (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022). In all other test years, there was not a significant difference between New York City Department of Education and New York. Among 8th graders, math proficiency in New York City Department of Education was lower than New York in 8 test years (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2019). In all other test years, there was not a significant difference between New York City Department of Education and New York.
Data are available in New York City Department of Education beginning in 2003.
New York City Department of Education 4th graders had lower math proficiency than New York in 10 out of 11 test years
Percentage of 4th and 8th graders proficient in math in New York City Department of Education, New York, and the US, 2003–2024
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How do New York City Department of Education students compare to other districts in math proficiency?
The NAEP collected data in 25 other large urban school districts in 2024. New York City Department of Education had 845,509 students enrolled as of the 2023-24 school year, making it the largest district in this sample.
Among 4th grade students, New York City Department of Education had the 12th-highest math proficiency rate compared to other districts. It was 16 percentage points lower in proficiency than Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the district with the highest rate (49%).
Among 8th grade students, New York City Department of Education had the seventh-highest math proficiency rate compared to other districts. It was 9 percentage points lower in proficiency than Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the district with the highest rate (32%).
New York City Department of Education is 12th-highest in 4th grade math proficiency and seventh-highest in 8th grade among the 26 districts tested
Percentage of 4th and 8th graders in each district who were proficient in math in 2024
Why is there data for New York City Department of Education but not all districts?
The NAEP randomly chooses public, private, and charter schools from across the country and in each state and Washington, DC to participate in testing. This random process ensures that the test scores from students in these schools represent how the US and each state are performing as a whole. In addition to national- and state-level reporting, for several years the NAEP has also administered the test to a random sample of schools within 26 of the nation's largest school districts in 2024, of which New York City Department of Education was one.
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USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
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USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
