A new report commissioned by Success Academy reveals that 43% of New York City public schools are “grossly failing” students despite the city spending more per student than any other jurisdiction globally. The findings were presented by Eva Moskowitz, founder and CEO of Success Academy.
The report states that New York City spends approximately $36,000 per child annually — a figure higher than anywhere else in the world — yet 43% of public schools are failing to adequately teach math and English. This represents about 400,000 children.
Moskowitz emphasized that these educational outcomes are not inevitable.
“I wrote this report because it doesn’t have to be this way,” she said during a recent broadcast on “America Right Now.”
Tom Basile, host of the program, noted that New York City spent roughly $40 billion on public education in 2024 — more than double the national average per student. He asked why educational outcomes have continued to decline despite such substantial investment.
Moskowitz responded that expectations for students are too low: “This is America. We have a can-do attitude, or we should, when it comes to our children learning at high levels.”
She contrasted Success Academy’s approach with traditional public schools, highlighting an emphasis on phonics, daily reading, discipline, and high academic standards.
“First, we teach phonics,” Moskowitz explained. “We believe in the science of reading. Every child, kindergarten through 12th grade, reads 30 minutes a day.”
She added that students are taught basic manners such as “please and thank you,” wear uniforms, and are encouraged to embrace traditional values she claims boost academic achievement.
Moskowitz credited parental involvement as critical: “We don’t believe schools can educate children without parents. Parents are the customer.” She noted that every parent has contact information for teachers and administrators and can visit classrooms at any time.
Basile highlighted that 95% of Success Academy seniors have passed three or more Advanced Placement exams, and about 70% of its middle school students score at high academic levels. He questioned why more public officials have not embraced charter schools and school choice.
Moskowitz blamed both teachers’ unions and education bureaucracies for low expectations: “There’s the teachers union on one hand, and the bureaucracy on the other — and both kind of conspire against children and families.”
She also countered efforts to reduce class sizes, stating that Success Academy’s larger classrooms allow for a broader range of activities while maintaining high academic performance. “Small class sizes have not proven to increase achievement,” she said. “We’ve shown that with large class sizes, we are number one in the entire state of New York in mathematics and number two in reading.”
Success Academy currently serves about 22,000 students across New York City.
Moskowitz urged policymakers: “This crisis in American education has implications for global prosperity and national security. We have to get our act together and decide that children are our most precious resource.”
