New York City’s school choice system was meant to give families more options. But in District 15, it led to segregation. Middle schools used screens like test scores, attendance, and even participation in school tours to sort out ten-year-olds, resulting in a system that reinforced racial and economic divisions. Some schools had enrollment of over 90 percent of low-income students, while others served far fewer. The deeper issues of fairness and access stood behind the numbers, propping up policies that led to middle schools being sorted along demographic lines.

WXY partnered with the Department of Education and a dedicated Working Group of parents, educators, and community advocates to lead the creation of the District 15 Diversity Plan. The team created interactive workbooks, multilingual surveys, and graphic policy explainers to clarify how the existing system functioned and who it excluded.

Data maps revealed how certain screens, like test scores and attendance, disproportionately filtered out Black and Latino students. Rather than dismantling school choice, the plan replaced selection-based admissions with a priority lottery, shifting advantage toward low-income students, English learners, and those in temporary housing. Alongside admissions reforms, the plan encouraged inclusive school cultures by identifying changes to curriculum, restorative discipline practices, and equity training.

The process used to develop the plan invited the District 15 community to shape the it themselves. Interactive models, infographics, multilingual surveys, and hands-on workshops gave families and educators tools to navigate the system and create solutions based on lived experience. Conversations dug into difficult topics, like race, class, access, and belonging, without oversimplifying or shutting people out. To support participation, WXY provided childcare, food, transit passes, and live translation at every event. Each workshop reflected a design commitment to accessibility, creating spaces where voices long left out of public decision-making could lead.

WXY’s 2024 D15 Evaluation and Reflection Report showed measurable gains in school integration. The findings continue to support the city’s commitment to ensuring that all students learn in diverse, high-quality environments close to home, with ongoing reflection built into the process. Before the plan took effect, District 15 ranked as the second most socioeconomically segregated middle school district in New York City. By the 2022–2023 school year, the district ranked 19th out of 32.

The shift fostered greater trust between the Department of Education and the families it serves, creating a model that centers on community expertise in public school planning. The plan now informs citywide policy conversations and lays the foundation for deeper, systemic change, with some districts adopting the policies on their own.