New York — NYC Parents Challenge Gap Between Grades, Test Scores

NEW YORK — Parents in New York City's public school system are pressing the Department of Education to explain why report cards and state test results tell two different stories about how children are performing, according to the New York Post editorial board, which cited parent activist Adriana Aviles and other families.

Aviles told the Post she discovered her son, a straight-A student, had not mastered basic algebra or fractions, a disconnect she said exposed a gap between inflated report cards and his actual performance on state exams, according to the Post.

What sparked the parent pushback?

The Post traces the current wave of parent scrutiny in part to an essay by journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones about enrolling her daughter in Brooklyn schools. The Post wrote that even as Hannah-Jones "strove to blame the same old phony villains," her account inspired other parents to speak publicly about academic setbacks, unresponsive administrators and what the Post described as a dysfunctional system.

Among those parents is Linda Quarles, a mother of two, who wrote for the Fordham Institute about Brooklyn schools she said were affected by chronic absenteeism, family instability and weak academic results, according to the Post's citation of her piece. Quarles' daughter attends the same school, MS 301, as Hannah-Jones' daughter, the Post reported.

How wide is the gap between grades and state tests?

At MS 301, 94% of students passed core courses even though only 17% demonstrated math proficiency and 18% demonstrated English proficiency on state exams, the Post reported. Citywide, the Post said 98% of New York City teachers were rated "Effective" or "Highly Effective" in the 2022-23 school year, even as 43% of students attended schools where more than half of pupils fail math or reading.

Manhattan Institute Fellow Danyela Egorov told the Post the grading system lacks accountability. "There are no consequences for poor performance," Egorov said, adding that "school staff have no incentive to give a fair grade," according to the Post.

A timeline of the growing dispute

• Pre-2020: New York City public schools already show signs of grade inflation relative to state test benchmarks, according to figures cited by the Post.
• 2020-2021: Pandemic-era school closures, which the Post attributes in part to decisions by teachers unions, shift instruction online and, parents say, pull back the curtain on existing academic gaps.
• 2022-23 school year: State data cited by the Post shows 98% of city teachers rated Effective or Highly Effective, while 43% of students attend schools where more than half fail math or reading.
• 2024-2025: Public K-12 enrollment in city schools has fallen 19% since 2014, a decline of nearly 187,000 students, including about 22,000 in the most recent year alone, according to the Post.
• 2026: Hannah-Jones' essay and subsequent accounts from parents including Aviles and Quarles draw renewed attention to the grade-versus-proficiency gap, prompting what the Post calls a parents' revolt.

Why is public school enrollment falling?

The Post reported that New York City's K-12 public school enrollment has dropped 19% since 2014, a loss of nearly 187,000 students, with almost 22,000 leaving in the most recent year alone. The Post said falling birth rates play a role but argued that "frustrated families are voting with their feet and fleeing a failing public school system in droves."

What are officials and experts saying?

Egorov, of the Manhattan Institute, located the core problem in accountability structures rather than individual teachers, telling the Post that without consequences for poor performance, staff have little incentive to issue accurate grades. The Post's editorial board argued city leadership has not addressed underperforming schools directly, though the piece did not include a response from the Department of Education or the teachers union to the specific proficiency figures cited.

What to watch

• Whether the Department of Education responds publicly to the proficiency gaps cited at MS 301 and citywide.
• Whether more parents follow Aviles and Quarles in speaking out about discrepancies between report cards and state test results.
• Whether enrollment decline figures for the current school year show further loss beyond the nearly 22,000 students who left last year, per the Post's reporting.
• Whether policymakers address the teacher-rating system, in which 98% of teachers were rated Effective or Highly Effective during 2022-23 despite widespread proficiency gaps.

The full New York Post editorial, including additional parent accounts, is available here.