Students in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York demonstrated strong achievement on the 2026 New York State Education Department assessments for Grades 3–8, with 65.3 percent achieving proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA) and 67.4 percent achieving proficiency in mathematics.

Catholic school students in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island also outperformed corresponding New York City (NYC)-wide public-school results. In ELA, 66 percent of Catholic school students achieved proficiency, compared with 48 percent of students in NYC public schools. In mathematics, Catholic school students recorded a proficiency rate of 69 percent, outperforming NYC public schools by 16 percentage points over the corresponding NYC public-school proficiency rate.

The results reflect the continued academic growth of Catholic schools as they strengthen instruction while focusing on the formation of the whole child.

“Certainly, we celebrate these results and the hard work of our students, teachers and families,” said Sr. Mary Grace Walsh, ASCJ, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools and Secretary for Education and Faith Formation for the Archdiocese of New York. “But our goal is not simply to move students toward a particular score or standard. Our goal is to help each student grow into the person God created them to be.”

Across the archdiocese, mathematics results were particularly consistent, with at least 60 percent of students achieving proficiency in every grade. Most grades either improved or remained consistent from the previous year.

In ELA, more than two-thirds of students in Grades 6 through 8 achieved proficiency, including nearly three-quarters of Grade 7 students. Middle-school grades also recorded incremental gains over the previous year.

School and grade-level teams will use the assessment results to identify student strengths and areas for continued academic growth.

“These assessments give us valuable information about student achievement,” Sr. Mary Grace said. “We will use that information thoughtfully as we continue to strengthen instruction. At the same time, we never lose sight of the larger purpose of Catholic education: the formation of the whole child.”

Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New York serve nearly 50,000 students in more than 140 schools across Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, and the counties of Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Ulster, and Orange.