Education in New York City
Education in New York City is provided by a vast number
of public and private institutions. The city’s public
school system, the New York City Department of Educa-
tion, is the largest in the United States, and New York is
home to some of the most important libraries, universit-
ies, and research centers in the world. The city is partic-
ularly known as a global center for research in medicine
and the life sciences.
Fordham University’s Keating Hall in the Bronx.
New York has the most post-graduate life sciences
degrees awarded annually in the United States, 40,000 li-
censed physicians, and 127 Nobel laureates with roots in
local institutions.[1] The city receives the second-highest
amount of annual funding from the National Institutes
of Health among all U.S. cities.[2] It also struggles with
disparity in its public school system, with some of the
best and worst performing public schools in the United
States. Under Mayor Michael Bloomberg the city has
embarked on a major school reform effort.
The New York Public Library, which has the largest
collection of any public library system in the country,
serves Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island.[3]
Queens is served by the Queens Borough Public Library,
the nation’s second largest public library system, and
Brooklyn Public Library serves Brooklyn.[3] The New
York Public Library has several research libraries, in-
cluding the Main Branch and the Schomburg Center for
Research in Black Culture.
Higher education
There are about 594,000[4]university students in New
York City attending 110 universities and colleges.[5].
New York State is the nation’s largest importer of col-
lege students, according to statistics which show that
among freshmen who leave their home states to attend
college, more come to New York than any other state,
including California. Enrollment in New York State is led
by New York City, which is home to more university stu-
dents than any other city in the United States.[6]
The higher education sector is also a vital cont