The Diversity of New York's Neighborhoods and Schools

A new report from the NYU Furman Center, The Diversity of New York City’s Neighborhoods and Schools, examines the racial and ethnic diversity of the city’s neighborhoods and public elementary schools. The report finds evidence of progress--for example, the concentration of racial and ethnic groups has grown less extreme over the past 12 years for Black, Hispanic, and white students. Yet troubling trends persist: the city’s Black and Hispanic students remain significantly more racially isolated in schools with far higher economic needs than their white and Asian peers.

The report also examines how the racial and ethnic makeup of New York City’s public elementary schools differs from the city’s demographic makeup and reveals variations in economic need in different schools. Black and Hispanic students are far more likely to attend public elementary schools than white students, and Black-Hispanic schools (schools with at least 20% Black students and at least 20% Hispanic students) had, on average, the highest share of students in temporary housing (21.1%) and--along with predominantly Hispanic schools--the highest Economic Need Index (0.87). Predominantly white schools had, on average, the lowest share of students in temporary housing (2.2%) and the lowest Economic Need Index (0.24). More key findings from the report appear below.

The report was released as part of the NYU Furman Center's annual State of New York City’s Housing and Neighborhoods in 2018, which provides a rich compendium of data and analysis about the city's population, housing stock, rental market, and neighborhood conditions.