New York City kids are set to log 130 fewer hours in the classroom than the national average — the equivalent of 20 lost school days — even as the city shells out more per pupil than any major school district in the country.
The typical K-12 student nationwide spends 6.9 hours a day in school across 178.6 days, totaling a an average of 1,231 hours annually, according to a 2025 study published in American Education Research Journal.
Researchers analyzed data from the 2017-2018 National Teacher and Principal Survey — the most comprehensive recent data available — to calculate the benchmark.
New York State law mandates students be in school for a minimum of 180 days.
But city students spend only 176 days in school each year, for 6 hours and 20 minutes each day, with city teachers getting four “professional development days” which the state treats as an exception to the 180-day rule.
City students also lose in-class time by having two half days each school year for parent-teacher conferences.
Additionally, city students lost a class day due to the February blizzard. Mayor Mamdani obtained a waiver from the 180-day minimum from state, and the day will not be made up.
City high school students lose even more time due to Regents exams, when students don’t have classes scheduled on the days they don’t have tests, said Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education Co-President Yiatin Chu told The Post.
“Kids can’t learn if they’re not in the classroom with a teacher. They’re getting less and less in-person class time it’s not a good direction. New York students are missing out,” Chu said.
Texas leads the nation for most time spent in school, with 1,313 total hours spent in class each year, followed by Nebraska with 1,311; Arkansas at 1,291; Mississippi with 1290; and Alabama at 1,288, according to the study.
Hawaii is at the bottom of the list with a statistically weighted average of 1,143 hours spent in class each year. New York State is 38th, with 1,210. If New York City were included on the list it would be ranked worst in the nation, below Hawaii at 1,101 total hours.
“Reducing the amount of total time kids are in school has shown to be definitively harmful for student learning and actually really produces negligible benefits for budgetary savings or teacher recruitment,” the study’s co-author, Brown University Professor Matthew Kraft, told The Post.
New York City finds itself towards the bottom of the top five biggest school districts in terms of hours spent in class: Los Angeles students spend 7 hours in class 180 days per year, Chicago 7.5 hours for 176 days per year, Miami-Dade County 7 hours a day for 180 days per year and Clark County (Las Vegas) in Nevada 6 hours and 11 minutes for 180 days per year.
Less time for in-class instruction puts City advanced placement students at a disadvantage when it comes to critical tests, Chu said.
“Teachers who have to cover the material have to cram a lot in fewer days than the rest of the country, and students need to devote extra time after school,” Chu said.
The Department of Education is the city’s largest bureaucracy, with a $42.8 billion budget, according to the DOE website.
Gotham spends more than any other major city per pupil, dishing out a projected $42,168 per student last year, according to a Citizens Budget Commission study.
City schools have suffered chronic declining enrollment but still serve 844,400 students, making it the largest school district in the country.
Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest school district, spends $22,778 per student.
The DOE told The Post that NYC schools are in full compliance with state law and New York State Education Department regulations.
“NYC Public Schools is committed to providing students with consistent, high-quality learning time while meeting all state requirements,” a DOE rep told The Post.
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