Students across New York State have shown marked improvement in this year's standardized test scores for English Language Arts and Mathematics. The latest data reveals a statewide uptick in proficiency rates for pupils in grades three through eight compared to the previous academic year.
Statewide Data Shows Notable Year-on-Year Gains
According to information compiled by the Empire Center and published by FingerLakes1.com, fifty-seven percent of students achieved proficiency in mathematics, a noticeable rise from last year's fifty-four percent. In English Language Arts (ELA), fifty-three percent of students met the standard, climbing from forty-six percent the year before.
The positive trend was widespread across school districts. Out of nearly seven hundred and twelve districts statewide, four hundred and seventy-one posted gains in maths. Even more significantly, six hundred and thirty-four districts saw improved results in ELA. This represents a substantial increase from the prior year, where only four hundred and thirteen districts improved in maths and two hundred and ninety-six in ELA.
Officials Urge Caution Amid Celebrating Improvements
While the numbers are encouraging, education officials and researchers have sounded a note of caution. The increases coincide with ongoing uncertainty about whether they reflect stronger student learning or adjustments to the testing benchmarks used by the New York State Education Department.
Empire Center president Zilvinas Silenas welcomed the increase but highlighted the need for clarity. “We would love to celebrate this increase in scores,” Silenas told FingerLakes1.com, adding that the education department must clarify if the results show genuine academic improvement or a redefinition of proficiency standards.
Performance Gaps and Regional Disparities Remain
A deeper look at school-level outcomes reveals an uneven performance landscape. Among three thousand seven hundred and twelve schools, only eighty-nine reached the ninetieth percentile in ELA, and one hundred and fifty did so in maths. Merely two institutions—Icahn Charter School One and Special Music School—achieved a perfect one hundred percent proficiency rate in both subjects.
Within New York City, disparities were stark. District Two in lower Manhattan recorded the highest ELA proficiency at seventy-eight percent, while District Twenty in Brooklyn led in maths at seventy-three percent. In contrast, District Twelve in the Bronx saw ELA proficiency at just thirty-seven percent, and District Twenty-Four in Queens recorded maths proficiency at thirty-five percent.
The gap extends to other major urban centers. Rochester recorded a mere nineteen percent proficiency in ELA and fifteen percent in maths. Buffalo, Albany, Yonkers, and Syracuse also posted results below the state average.
On Long Island, the Quogue Union Free School District stood out with ninety-four percent proficiency in both subjects. Interestingly, the nearby Fire Island UFSD, despite an expenditure of nearly one hundred and fifty thousand dollars per student, recorded forty-eight percent proficiency in ELA and fifty-seven percent in maths among its twenty-one tested students.
Long-Term Trends and the Impact of Technology
Education professor Chris Wilkens from SUNY Brockport provided context on the longer-term patterns. Discussing the results with WXXI News, he likened test scores to a thermometer, indicating academic health but not the underlying causes. Wilkens linked score declines observed between 2012 and 2015 to the rise in smartphone use among students, citing research by Jonathan Haidt.
He also noted a potential policy shift that could influence future outcomes: the current school year marks the first statewide year of a classroom ban on personal internet-enabled devices. This move, aimed at reducing digital distractions, may play a role in shaping student performance in the years to come.
