February 14, 2017
Dear Parents,
We are writing today to share some good news about New York City’s public schools.
Last week, we announced that the high school graduation rate is the highest it’s ever been, and the dropout rate is the lowest it’s ever been. In every single borough, the graduation rate increased and the dropout rate decreased.
This is a tremendous achievement, and we should take a moment to celebrate the hard work of our students, and of our teachers and school staff. We also know that none of this would be possible without you, our public-school parents, and we thank you for the sacrifices you’ve made to raise such amazing young people. Because of you, the future of New York City is looking very bright.
While we celebrate our students’ achievements, we know there is so much more work to do. We are working harder than ever to improve every school in every neighborhood through our Equity and Excellence for All reforms.
We are making unprecedented investments in our school system – from Pre-K for every 4-year-old, to reading coaches at every elementary school, to AP classes at every high school, to bringing computer science to every school in every borough. By 2026, 80 percent of students will graduate high school on time, two-thirds of graduates will be college ready, and all our students will be reading on grade level by the end of 2nd grade.
As we continue to make progress, we are more committed to the success of our public schools than ever. We will always believe in our public schools. We will always believe in New York City’s students, our families, and our teachers.
We thank you again for everything you do for your children and our City, and we look forward to the work we’ll do together to keep improving education in New York City.
Congratulations on this great achievement! Sincerely,
Chancellor
Department of Education
Mayor
City of New York
Mayor
City of New York