New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has sparked controversy for his socialist views, anti-Israel statements, and focus on identity politics. However, his education agenda—arguably the most damaging part of his platform—has largely escaped public attention.
Mamdani supports eliminating the very programs that help low-income students succeed. He has opposed school voucher programs, fought against the expansion of charter schools, and criticized specialized high schools like Stuyvesant and Bronx Science. Mamdani’s agenda poses a direct threat to NYC students attempting to escape a failing education system.
Charter schools have consistently delivered better academic outcomes for disadvantaged students than traditional public schools. Success Academy, New York City’s largest charter school network, serves a student population that is 98% Black or Latino and overwhelmingly low-income. In 2024, 96% of Success Academy students passed the state mathematics exam, while 83% passed the English Language Arts exam. By comparison, just 49% of students in district schools achieved proficiency in math, and only 53% did so in English.
The results at Success Academy are not an exception. A study by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) found that students in New York City charter schools gained the equivalent of 30 additional days of learning in reading and 57 in math annually, compared to their public school peers.
“For students in places like New York City, school choice offers a lifeline out of struggling schools,” said Superintendent of Online Schools at K12 and former Asst. Superintendent of the Louisiana Dept of Education, Adam Hawf. “Eliminating school choice would be a grave mistake.”
Mamdani disregards extensive data showing that charter schools improve academic outcomes for low-income students and students of color, and instead continues to push the narrative that charter schools “drain” public resources. This argument is not only unsupported by evidence but also contradicted by numerous independent studies.
Instead of supporting proven education models, Mamdani has endorsed symbolic spending initiatives that have little impact on academic outcomes. As a contributor to the 2025 “People’s Budget,” introduced by the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus, Mamdani pushed for funding programs aimed at diversity and inclusion.
The budget allocated $8 million to recruit teachers of color, despite Black educators already representing 42% of the city’s teaching workforce—nearly twice their proportion of the city’s overall population. An additional $250,000 was allocated for racial and cultural inclusivity initiatives, along with $351,500 for educator conferences focused on underrepresented groups.
While some of these measures may have merit, they do not address the immediate academic challenges faced by students in struggling schools. The same budget included $80 million for climate infrastructure improvements, even though nearly 18% of New York City classrooms still lack working air conditioning—a far more pressing issue for student learning environments.
New York already experienced a trial run of Mamdani’s proposed education agenda under former Mayor Bill de Blasio. De Blasio capped charter school expansion by denying co-location requests and limiting new approvals, directly restricting access to high-performing alternatives for low-income students.
In 2021, Bill de Blasio eliminated New York City’s Gifted & Talented program, which served approximately 16,000 students each year through accelerated learning. He also changed admissions policies for top specialized high schools—including Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Tech—by reducing the role of the SHSAT, aiming to address what he called “inherent racial bias.”
De Blasio's flagship initiative—the $773 million “Renewal Schools” program—targeted 94 low-performing schools with added services such as mental health support, extended school hours, and expanded teacher training. The effort, however, was a complete failure.
According to the New York City Independent Budget Office, students in Renewal Schools made smaller academic gains in math and reading compared to students in demographically similar schools not receiving extra funding. A New York Times investigation found that nearly one in five Renewal Schools were ultimately shut down, and the program produced no statistically significant improvement in graduation rates or test scores. By 2019, the initiative was quietly discontinued.
“Investing in public schools is important and necessary. But when there are no results, that shouldn't automatically justify more funding—it should prompt a serious look at alternatives. Anyone who refuses to consider school choice as one of those options is making a serious and catastrophic mistake,” said Hawf.
De Blasio’s policies produced damaging results. Between 2015 and 2021, public school enrollment fell by more than 120,000 students, according to the New York State Education Department.
Zohran Mamdani proposes to double down on this failed approach. His agenda would block high-performing charter schools, restrict parental choice, and reallocate funds toward politically motivated programs. The result would be fewer opportunities for students who already face the steepest odds. New York City cannot afford another experiment that sacrifices educational achievement in the name of ideology.
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