Yeshiva students Image by Getty Images

(JTA) — The number of students attending Jewish day schools and yeshivas in New York City is nearly as large as the entire New York City-based charter school population, according to the New York state Department of Education.

The number K-12 students attending Jewish day schools and yeshivas in the city now exceeds 110,000, an increase of more than 10,000 students in less than two years. There are about 114,000 students in the charter school population, and another 148,345 students are enrolled in other parochial or independent schools.

In total, the number of non-public school students comprises 18 percent of New York City’s total school enrollment. Charter schools are public schools.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Neil Cohen, chairman of Teach NYS, a project of the Orthodox Union that supports Jewish day schools, said the new data show the importance of continuing to push for a more equitable distribution of local and state funds for non-public schools.

“This demonstrates our community’s need to stay focused on one of the top priorities for our families – making non-public school education more affordable,” Cohen said.

Teach NYS has secured an additional $450 million in funding for New York City Jewish day schools, which has been used to increase security, enhance education and defray higher tuition costs. In 2018, it championed a pilot program to begin providing kosher and halal meals to students enrolled in the city’s public and nonpublic schools.

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount