This is part of a series in which Chalkbeat asked the mayoral candidates questions about important education issues that will likely define the next four years. The primary is June 24, with early voting from June 14-22.
New York City is facing a glut of tiny schools.
As enrollment declines accelerated since the pandemic, nearly 200 schools enrolled fewer than 200 students last school year — more than double the number of small schools compared with 2016.
The growing number of small campuses presents a dilemma for the next mayor. These schools are expensive to run, yet also struggle to afford a full range of programs, since funding is tied to student headcount.
Should the city support these schools? Or should officials ramp up closures and mergers, moves that often disproportionately affect Black and Latino communities and generate community backlash?
Enrollment drops are expected to deepen in the coming years, according to projections from the School Construction Authority, making those questions even more urgent.
Chalkbeat asked the mayoral candidates how they would approach the ballooning number of small schools. Some were more open to closures than others, but many of them agreed there should be a more thorough community engagement process.
This was one of seven pressing issues Chalkbeat posed to the leading candidates in a March 25 questionnaire. A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams said he declined to participate since he isn’t in the primary. During his tenure, Adams has ramped up mergers to address the issue and has also moved to close three schools. (We updated the story with a response from Zohran Mamdani’s campaign, which was provided after publication.)
Here’s what the candidates told us about how they would approach the issue.
Responses may have been edited for formatting or trimmed for length, but otherwise each candidate’s answers are as submitted, including hyperlinks.
