Since Mayor Mike Spano took office in 2012, his administration has significantly increased its investment in Yonkers Public Schools, with the budget transfer to the Board of Education reaching a record amount in 2025–2026. These financial commitments are directed toward infrastructure projects, educational programs, and supporting the school system through challenging budget cycles.
The Mayor’s Rebuild Yonkers Schools multi-year initiative addresses the infrastructure needs of the city’s aging school buildings, which have an average age of over 80 years. New construction: As part of the plan, new schools are being constructed, including the Justice Sonia Sotomayor School, which houses community resources like a medical office and a pool.
The latest graduation rate for the Yonkers City School District was 89%, a figure that reflects the overall achievement of the city’s high school students and is a key metric for the district’s ongoing Graduation Rate initiative.
Several factors contributed to the increase in Yonkers’ graduation rate, including dedicated students, teachers, and families, strategic initiatives like prioritizing data visibility and student transcript analysis, increased parental involvement, clear student expectations, personalized teaching approaches, and consistent school leadership.
Yonkers also received recognition as a model My Brothers Keeper Alliance community for demonstrating impact in supporting boys and young men of color.