Just 57% Of NYC High School Graduates Are College Ready, Audit Finds

NEW YORK CITY — New York City's public high schools are failing to prepare nearly half of their graduates for college, a new audit found.

Just 57 percent of high school graduates in the city are "college ready," according to the audit released Tuesday by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

And of those who did go to college, 38 percent dropped out after six months or fewer, the audit found.

The findings raise concerns about whether New York City students will be prepared for the world outside of high school, because being "college ready" entails skills that help beyond the university, the audit states.

"We found (Department of Education) should do more to prepare students to be college ready regardless of the post-secondary pathway they decide to take (e.g., enroll in college, get a job, pursue a trade, enlist in the military), and this preparation should begin much earlier in students’ school years," the audit states.

Nicole Brownstein, a Department of Education spokesperson, said Mayor Eric Adams' administration is deeply committed to strengthening the path to college and good-paying careers.

"We have been vocal on this issue, and we are working to put in place programs that include school funding and staff training to support college and career advising, advanced coursework, including AP courses, expanded and equitable early college credit programs, and bridge-to-college programming in the months following graduation," she said in a statement.

The city has the nation's largest school system, with roughly 900,000 students.

Many city-run schools rank among the best in the nation, and overall graduation rates have increased in recent years.

But the audit points out that the shift to remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancelation of math and English proficiency exams, which are a major aspect of college readiness.

Canceling the exams made it easier for students to graduate, even though they may not have been college ready, according to the audit.

"Subsequently, DOE reported increased graduation rates – 78.8% in 2020 and 81.2% in 2021," the audit states. "Yet, while the percentage of students graduating is increasing, the trend showing the gap between high school graduation rates and college readiness rates is likely to continue in the foreseeable future."

The findings dovetail with recent state data that showed math proficiency scores plunged over the pandemic.

DiNapoli's audit recommended city officials look into the "significant number" of students weren't college ready, develop a system to identify elementary and middle school students at risk of falling behind, among others.