Objective

To determine the extent of implementation of the four recommendations included in our initial audit report, College Readiness (Report 2021-N-1).

About the Program

According to the U.S. Department of Education, three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require education beyond a high school diploma—a college degree or advanced certificate represents entry to rewarding careers. However, nearly half of all students who complete high school and go to college require remedial courses and nearly half never graduate.

New York City Public Schools (NYCPS, formerly the New York City Department of Education)—the nation’s largest school system, comprising 32 school districts—served approximately 900,000 students at its more than 1,500 elementary, middle, and high schools (excludes charter schools/students) in the 2023-24 school year. Over the past several years, NYCPS has reported increases in the percentage of students graduating from its high schools, yet the percentage of students whom it has determined to be college ready has continuously lagged. For example, in 2019, while NYCPS reported 77% of high school students citywide graduated, only 57% were considered college ready. In 2024, 83% of high school students citywide graduated, while only 52% were considered college ready.

In general, college readiness refers to the set of skills, behaviors, and knowledge a high school student should have before enrollment in their first year of college, as well as the ability for high school students to demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to successfully complete freshman level college coursework. At the core of the different definitions of college readiness are assessments of students’ proficiency levels in English (reading and writing) and Math. Being college ready helps students be better prepared for the post-secondary pathway they pursue after graduating high school.

NYCPS has developed its own definition for college readiness—a student who: (1) can successfully meet NYCPS’ criteria for graduation from high school and obtain the highest possible diploma/credential; (2) can make an informed decision about immediate next steps after high school; (3) is able to enter a post-secondary pathway without the need for remedial instruction/training; and (4) persists through a post-secondary pathway that leads to a degree, credential, and/or employment providing family-sustaining wages. Subsequent to our initial audit, NYCPS added a high school Grade Point Average (GPA) component to its definition of college readiness. NYCPS also established a “college readiness metric” to ensure that every student will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and competencies to graduate high school and successfully pursue a rigorous post-secondary pathway that meets their interests and needs. This may include going to college and getting a degree, learning a trade and receiving certification, and/or gaining employment that provides family-sustaining wages. In 2024, NYCPS revised its college readiness metric to include a career component: the College and Career Readiness metric.

The objective of our initial audit, issued on October 4, 2022, was to determine whether NYCPS was adequately preparing students for post-secondary institutions. The audit, which covered the period from September 2015 through March 2022 and included students who were expected to graduate high school by August 2019, found that, overall, NYCPS should do more to prepare students to be college ready regardless of the post-secondary pathway they decide to take (e.g., enroll in college, get a job, pursue a trade, enlist in the military), and this preparation should begin much earlier in students' school years. Specifically, for a cohort of 71,210 high school students expected to graduate by August 2019, as many as 23% of them did not graduate on time. We also found 38% of the students in this cohort did not continue or persist in college for 6 months after enrolling. Additionally, for a sample of 291 students from this cohort, we determined that 45% were not college ready. Our review of the 3rd through 8th grade assessments for these 291 students found that students experienced a significant drop in proficiency in both English and Math between elementary school and middle school. For the students in our sample who graduated from high school, 38 did not meet all the minimum scores required to earn the diploma they received.

Key Findings

NYCPS officials have made significant progress in addressing the problems we identified in the initial audit report. Of the initial report’s four audit recommendations, all four have been implemented.