NYC public school enrollment rises for 1st time in 8 years

Enrollment in New York City public schools has climbed for the first time in eight years, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday, touting the news as a sign that the city “is back.”

The rise in enrollment coincides with the arrival of thousands of migrant families in the city over the last 18 months – but comes as Adams continues to discourage asylum-seekers from coming to New York.

According to the education department, preliminary enrollment data shows an increase of 8,000 students — or roughly 1% — from last school year. That brings the total number of students registered in the city’s public schools to approximately 915,000.

“When we say New York City is back, we are not just talking about our economy — we are talking about our communities and our entire city,” Adams said in a statement. “New Yorkers are voting with their feet.”

Officials have also said that some 12,500 students in temporary housing entered the school system since July, and the vast majority are presumed to be migrants. That’s more than the net gain in enrollment reported by the education department, which raises questions about whether migrant students are leaving schools shortly after enrolling — or if the system continues to lose other students at a steady clip, as has been the trend for years.

The rise in enrollment means 57% of the city’s schools will receive an average funding boost of $209,000 this school year, totaling to an extra $183 million.

But the boost in school-level funding is likely to come alongside other reductions. While the majority of schools’ budgets will increase, many others with lower enrollment will receive less funding.

Adams has also promised “extremely painful” cuts to every city agency, which he is expected to announce as part of budget modifications on Thursday.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Adams said the cost of serving migrant families is forcing him to slash every agency’s budget by 5% and indicated there will be fewer than…