Chancellor Carranza Announces 44 Percent Increase in Students Receiving Computer Science Education in 2017-18

NEW YORK – Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza today announced that approximately 134,000 students received Computer Science (CS) education in 2017-18, a record high. The 44 percent increase in students receiving CS education came in the third year of Computer Science for All, which will bring computer science education to every elementary, middle, and high school by 2025. In 2016-17, approximately 93,000 students received computer science education. 

The Chancellor made the announcement to kick off New York City’s participation in Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 3-9), a global effort encouraging Computer Science education. A record 359 New York City schools are participating in Computer Science Education Week this year.

“Computer Science for All is helping even more students across the five boroughs gain critical skills that will help them succeed in college and compete in a 21st Century workforce,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We continue to build on our promise to expand the program citywide and this year’s increase reaching a record number of students will help us enrich the lives of even more young New Yorkers.”

"As we work to advance equity in schools across the City, we're expanding computer science education to a record number of students across the City – including students, schools, and neighborhoods that haven't had this access before," said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. "In our computer science classrooms, students are learning to think creatively and collaborate with each other. They're being exposed to hands-on, new ways of thinking and technologies that they may pursue into college and careers or as a hobby, or that simply excite them about learning and being in school. I congratulate our 134,000 students learning computer science and our 359 schools participating in Computer Science Education Week, and I look forward to building on the progress we've made as we move towards Computer Science for All." 

“Computer science is a critical skill for all students in the 21st century, said Fred Wilson, Founder of the New York City Foundation for Computer Science Education (CSNYC) “I commend Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza for championing Computer Science for All and making it a signature element of their Equity and Excellence for All agenda.”

Progress under the Computer Science for All initiative includes:

• As of the beginning of the 2018-19 school year, approximately 1,500 teachers have started Computer Science for All training to bring back to their 695 elementary, middle and high schools.
• The number of students taking an AP Computer Science exam in 2017 more than tripled compared to 2016, and the number of students passing an AP Computer Science exam increased more than fourfold compared to 2016. New York City public school students accounted for approximately 7 percent of AP Computer Science Principles exam-takers nationwide.
• The 44 percent increase in students participating in CS education, which is driven by specific Computer Science for All training and investments, as well as schools launching and expanding their own CS programming aligned to the initiative. The exact preliminary count of students receiving CS education was 134,429, up from 93,146 in 2016-17.
• As part of Computer Science for All, the City has created a CS4All Blueprint to help educators and school communities integrate computer science into classrooms.

This year, a record 359 schools are participating in Computer Science Education Week, with 112 schools in Brooklyn, 56 in the Bronx, 59 in Manhattan, 101 in Queens and 31 in Staten Island. Through a partnership with BetaNYC, 122 middle and high schools across the city will participate in the 2018-19 Hack League, which kicks off with in-school, teacher-led hackathons during Computer Science Education Week. Through hackathons, students will apply computer science concepts and practices to solve real-world challenges and address issues impacting their communities. The final citywide hackathon will take place in Spring 2019.

Computer Science for All is part of Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza’s Equity and Excellence for All agenda, which aims to ensure that by 2026, 80 percent of students graduate high school on time and two-thirds of graduates are college ready. Building on record-high graduation rates, record-low dropout rates, and a high-quality Pre-K seat for every New York City 4-year-old, Equity and Excellence for All is creating a path from Pre-K to college and careers for every child in every neighborhood in New York City.

Computer Science for All is a public-private partnership with New York City supported by a range of foundations, corporations, nonprofits, families, and individuals. Major partners include Solomon Wilson Family Foundation; Math for America (MfA); Robin Hood Foundation; Robin Hood Learning + Technology Fund; Oath Foundation; Hutchins Family Foundation; Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.; IAC; Airbnb; and the Paulson Family Foundation. They are joined by additional partners such as Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, & Katz; Siegel Family Endowment; Hearst Foundations; the Ron Conway Family; The Rudin Foundation and the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation; ABNY Foundation; Accenture; Arconic Foundation, and WorldQuant Foundation. The Fund for Public Schools, CSNYC and the Office of Strategic Partnerships at City Hall work together to develop and manage these partnerships.

Together, the Equity and Excellence for All initiatives are building a pathway to success in college and careers for all students. Our schools are starting earlier – free, full-day, high-quality education for three-year-olds and four-year-olds through 3-K for All and Pre-K for All. They are strengthening foundational skills and instruction earlier – Universal Literacy so that every student is reading on grade level by the end of 2nd grade; and Algebra for All to improve elementary- and middle-school math instruction and ensure that all 8th graders have access to algebra. They are offering students more challenging, hands-on, college and career-aligned coursework – Computer Science for All brings 21st-century computer science instruction to every school, and AP for All will give all high school students access to at least five Advanced Placement courses. Along the way, they are giving students and families additional support through College Access for All, Single Shepherd, and investment in Community Schools. Efforts to create more diverse and inclusive classrooms, including Equity & Excellence for All: Diversity in New York City Public Schools are central to this pathway.

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Contact:  Chancellor’s Press Office (212) 374-5141