Tracking Suspensions in New York City Public Schools, 2006-2017

In an effort to inform the growing dialogue on school discipline, this report examines trends in suspensions in New York City over an 11-year period (2006-07 to 2016-17) for middle school and high school students.

The report reveals that while suspensions on the whole fluctuated, and ultimately declined by 39.4 percent, the timing and magnitude of the changes varied by grade, race and ethnicity, and disability status. Over the course of the study period, Black students consistently had the highest suspension rates. In 2016-17, the rate of suspensions of black students was 2.8 the rate for white students.

In response to the report, LaShawn Robinson, Deputy Chancellor for the Division of School Climate and Wellness, NYC Department of Education said “Schools need to be safe, supportive and affirming environments, and we train staff in implicit bias and restorative practices to advance equity for students and decrease disparities. We have made progress in this important work, but there is still more work to do, and we look forward to our continued partnership with the Data Collaborative for Justice.”