The Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) recently spotlighted findings from our study of the effects of COVID-19 on NYC high school students. The study is part of CRPE’s Evidence Project, launched in 2023 with support from the Walton Family Foundation. The initiative funded research teams across the country to foster a better understanding of the pandemic’s impacts and to inform recovery efforts. 

Our project—led by Clare Buckley Flack, Kathryn Hill, and Xia Li—tracks how the pandemic shaped academic opportunities in 9th through 12th grade, as well as outcomes, including high school graduation rates, college enrollment and persistence among New York City students. As the nation’s largest school district and one that was hard-hit by the pandemic, NYC offers a critical lens on equity, recovery, and long-term outcomes. 

Key findings include: 

• While graduation rates did not decline (likely due to the easing of graduation requirements), the rate of improvement slowed—especially for low-income students.
• College enrollment dropped sharply, particularly for Black, Latinx, and low-income students, and students with disabilities.
• College persistence rates (from first to second year) were more consistent across groups, suggesting barriers to access—not success—were most acute. 

These early findings highlight a key lesson: even when short-term indicators (like graduation) hold steady, they may mask deeper, longer-term disparities. Understanding the full impact of the pandemic requires looking beyond test scores and diplomas to consider how systems shape opportunity across the life course. 

The CRPE post also features studies on student and teacher mobility in St. Louis and school resilience in Alabama—reinforcing the idea that relationships, leadership, and structural supports all play a role in recovery. 

Read a preview of forthcoming findings in this CRPE blog post and learn more about the project.