Big Apple public schools are at risk of losing a whopping 153,000 students over the next decade, according to a troubling new report by the School Construction Authority.

The data estimates that enrollment will plunge by 94,000 pupils over the next five years, with an additional 59,000 lost in the following five years.

The drop will bring the total number of enrolled students to 721,251 for the 2034-2035 school year -- a more than 25% decline in current enrollment.

The Citizens' Budget Commission told the New York Times the estimates were "pretty dramatic" -- and warned that they were "very concerned about what it says regarding families leaving the city," Ana Champaney, the fiscal watchdog's president of research, said.

The report partially blames the student outflow on families fleeing the five boroughs -- citing that 91,000 people left for other cities in the United States in 2024 -- with "negative total net migration" increasing yearly between 2020 and 2024 despite the major influx of migrants in 2022.

Other families are staying put but choosing alternative schooling for their young ones -- including private schools and homeschooling. Data shows that 19% of the city's school-aged children are enrolled in private education.

The city is also seeing a sharp downturn across all age groups under 60 -- with the most glaring gaps in the 20-24 and 25-29 age groups, who are considered the primary demographics for starting families. A staggering 25,000 fewer babies are born per year in the city than they were 10 years ago.

One outlier in the report showed prekindergarten pupils are projected to remain steady, at about 88,000 enrolled in the next 10 years -- but that number is cut in half when they age into kindergarten.

The New York City Department of Education addressed the bleak outlook in a statement to The New York Times.

 “As we plan for the future, we will continue making responsible decisions that strengthen opportunities for students while also ensuring families have clear, timely information about their options,” the department said.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman mocked rival Gov. Kathy Hochul for her botched rollout of the state budget Thursday -- after legislative leaders in her own party dismantled her claims of a "handshake agreement."

Blakeman likened the blunder to a reality TV game show after Hochul announced a state budget deal, only to have fellow Democrat, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, say there was no breakthrough in negotiations a month after the April Fool's Day budget deadline.

"Reminds me of that TV show 'Deal or No Deal' -- if Kathy Hochul is looking for another job, she probably should try to get on that show," Blakeman joked at a press conference outside of Hochul's office in Manhattan.

"This is the left hand not knowing what the left hand's doing. The fact of the matter is, it's the height of incompetence. It's a lack of leadership," he added.

Hochul touted a $268 billion budget with few specific details at a press conference early Thursday morning, but Heastie debunked the claims shortly afterwards, saying the number had never been independently confirmed.

"On all parts of the budget, the governor's team, the Senate's team, and the Assembly team sign off. We signed off on nothing major," Heastie told reporters at the state Capitol building in Albany Thursday.

Blakeman went on to criticize Hochul's plan to try to offer relief for skyrocketing utility bills for New Yorkers -- which he said would cause rates to skyrocket in many parts of the state.

"On the one hand, she says she's going to give everybody a $250 check or $300 check to help them with their utility costs," he said. "On the other hand, her policies are going to raise your utility rates by $4,100 a year in many parts of our state.

"This is a disaster budget. And she can't even get the agreement of her colleagues in the legislature."

Sarafina Chitika, spokesperson for Hochul, clapped back at the Blakeman, who is now serving as the Nassau County executive. The spokesperson called Blakeman's own county's budget "embarrassing."

“Bruce Blakeman lecturing anyone on budgets after burying Nassau County in debt, jacking up property taxes, and needing a state bailout is straight up embarrassing," Chitika said in a statement, then criticized the candidate for a trip this week to visit President Trump at the White House.

"No one needs fiscal advice from the guy who just returned from kissing Donald Trump’s ring at the White House after Trump gutted Medicaid, slashed SNAP, and blew a massive hole in New York’s budget that everyone else now has to clean up.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a tentative deal on a sweeping new sanctuary law that dramatically restricts and in many cases bars New York authorities from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement in arresting or detaining undocumented immigrants -- setting up a confrontation with President Trump.

The law would prohibit local law enforcement officials from being deputized by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement for federal civil immigration enforcement by eliminating such agreements with county or local police departments. It would strictly prohibit using state, local or school civil resources—including employee time—for civil immigration enforcement activities.

New York law enforcement would only be permitted to assist ICE in apprehending undocumented immigrants who've committed crimes.

The law would nully a cooperation agreement between ICE and Nassau County, whose executive, Bruce Blakeman, is the Republican nominee for governor. Nassau has a facility that holds undocumented immigrants for the federal agency.

Blakeman said he would sue to block a state sanctuary law that prevents New York law enforcement  from helping federal authorities apprehend or detain undocumented immigrants.

If approved, the law would deny ICE permission to enter sensitive locations – including schools, libraries, health care facilities, polling locations, and homes – without a judicial warrant.

It would also ban federal, state, and local law enforcement from wearing masks while on duty.

Additionally, the law would give residents the right to sue ICE officers, for constitutional violations.

Hochul said ICE and border patrol agents had "gone too far" with reckless enforcement, citing the killing of two citizens in Minnesota during protests against ICE raids in January.

But Trump administration border czar Tom Homan warned Hochul that he would "flood the zone" with ICE officers in New York despite her efforts to block enforcement..

When told that Hochul said she's not asking President Trump for ramped up ICE enforcement, Homan said, "Well, Governor Hochul, I’m not asking either. I said it. We’re going to do it.

"We're going to flood the zone in New York — we have to," Homan said Wednesday on Fox News Channel's "The Ingraham Angle."

"This is what we have to do because she forces this position," he went on. "And we're going to do it. They're not going to stop us. They can put all the roadblocks they want, but we're [going to] do this job."

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a tentative state budget deal that would pull back New York's controversial green energy law, whose mandates she and other critics called unworkable and costly.

A Hochul administration analysis -- disputed by green activists -- claimed that without changes, the impact of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act could boost gas prices by $2.23 per gallon by 2031, increase natural gas costs to $2,300 annually for New York City households and exceed $4,000 annually for upstate households.

Under the changes, the state would not issue regulations to reduce emissions from fossil fuel until 2028 instead of immediately.

Environmentalists sued the Hochul administration last year to issue the regulations and won in court, forcing the governor's hand to ask the legislature to push back the deadlines for transitioning from gas and other fossil fuel-powered energy to renewables such as wind and solar under the law.

The law demanded reductions in greenhouse gas by 40% in 2030 and 85% by 2050.

The amended law eliminates the 40% reduction requirement by 2030.

A new goal -- but not a legal requirement -- calls for cutting emissions by 60% by 2040.

The legal requirement to slash emissions by 85% by 2050 remains the same.

The goal of 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040 remain the same.

The budget also loosens the state's strict methodology for measuring emissions and adopt the standards used by 48 other states, making it easier for businesses to comply.

"We're spreading out the time frame. We got to the right place," Hochul said during a press conference Thursday.

The governor said she "stood up" to protect New Yorkers from sticker shock while promoting green energy over a more reasonable time period.
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The tentative deal also Includes $1 billion for energy rebate checks to provide relief to ratepayers suffering from high utility bills and higher costs at the gas pumps resulting from the war in Iran.

It directs another $1 billon toward projects that reduce carbon emissions.

New Yorkers are set to get tax relief on tips as Gov. Kathy Hochul kept the break on gratuity in her presentation of a handshake budget deal announcement Thursday.

“We got it done, and I said we’d put even more money back in your pockets with relief for utility ratepayers, and by ending state income taxes on tips so that servers working the double shift can keep more of what they earn," Hochul said from the Red Room.

"We got it done. Over the next few days, the legislature will be conferencing and voting on the budget bills.”

Hochul faced heat early this year to include the tax break to match Trump's vow to eliminate the levy on the federal level.

A Post front page story at the time highlighted how bartenders and restaurant workers were peeved at the gov for failing to make the tips fully tax-free.

Former Gov. George Pataki called the Democratic drama over the state’s long-delayed budget an “ongoing disaster for New York." 

“We have one party rule in New York and the Democrats are arguing whether they're leftists or far-leftists,” the three-term GOP governor told The Post on Thursday.

“It's the State of New York that suffers. It's truly sad."

He said during his tenure he fought for lower taxes and job growth – and Dems “are just throwing it away.”

"They're arguing over raising taxes a lot or a little and spending billions of dollars on their cronies,” Pataki said. 

ALBANY – Lead-footed Big Apple speed demons are being put on notice as state lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul clear the way for a program that would allow authorities to install speed interlock devices on their rides.

After receiving 16 tickets from automated cameras within a year, authorities can install a speed limiter on the vehicles of offenders under the so-called “super speeders act” being included in the final state budget deal, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday.

“New York is putting these super speeders on notice. You will not flout our laws and you'll not endanger children, pedestrians and other drivers who deserve to feel safe on our highways,” Hochul told reporters while announcing a “general agreement” on the state budget Thursday morning.

She called such offenders “callous” and said she was particularly proud of the deal struck with the legislature on the program.

“People shouldn’t be terrified to push a baby stroller down the street,” she said.

While the details of how the program will operate are yet to be released, Hochul and her staff confirmed to reporters that it would only be implemented in New York City, though all drivers would be subject to the restraints.

Ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani is recovering well enough from his health scare that he's been removed from intensive care, his son told The Post on Wednesday.

"Yes, he is [out of ICU]. Thank God," Andrew Giuliani said. "He’s a true warrior!!" 

Rudy Giuliani, 81, was hospitalized over the weekend after developing pneumonia, apparently exacerbated by a respiratory illness he contracted around the time of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

He fell into a coma and was placed on a ventilator to assist his breathing.

Giuliani's medical condition began improving on Monday and Tuesday, when Andrew said his father was talking and even began "cracking jokes."

'It's good news," said Giuliani pal Tom Von Essen, the city fire commissioner during the Sept.11, 2001 terror attacks and later a business associate of Giuliani.

Giuliani will "spend some time recovering before leaving the hospital," spokesman Ted Goodman said.

"The mayor and his family appreciate the outpouring of love and prayers sent his way. Mayor Giuliani, the man who took down the Mafia, saved New York City and ran toward the towers on September 11th, is the same fighter he's always been, and he's winning this fight.

"The power of prayer is working. The mayor feels it. We feel it. Please keep them coming for America's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani."

Mayor Zohran Mamdani doubled down on his support of anti-Israel protesters Wednesday and brushed off questions about his own rhetoric fueling antisemitic hate.

Hizzoner said his opinions on rowdy protests outside of the Park East Synagogue Tuesday had been made clear -- and he declined to change his tune after videos of anti-Israel activists clashing with police.

"There is no tolerance for the hatred of Jewish New Yorkers," he said when asked his take on the protests.

"I've also been clear about the fact that when we have a real estate expo that is promoting the sale of land, settlements that are a violation of international law—that is something I firmly disagree with,” Mamdani said.

He went on to say the sale event -- an expo aimed at selling land in the West Bank to Israeli settlers -- was "at the heart of an ongoing effort to displace Palestinians from their homes."

City Hall shared a similar sentiment opposing the sale expo in a statement ahead of the event.

"Mayor Mamdani is deeply opposed to the real estate expo this evening that includes the promotion of the sale of land in settlements in the occupied West Bank. These settlements are illegal under international law," Mamdani spokesman Sam Raskin told The Post.

Tuesday night's protest marked one of the first large-scale demonstrations outside of a house of worship since city lawmakers passed a bill last month requiring the NYPD to create, plan, and enforce safety zones outside of religious institutions ahead of protests.

No arrests were made by the NYPD.

ALBANY – Gov. Kathy Hochul is desperate to announce a handshake on a $263 billion state budget deal this week as she and Democratic leaders continue to butt heads over the package.

Despite hopes of a "Hochul handshake” announcement Wednesday, sources said three-way meetings between the governor, state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Westchester) and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) Tuesday night and Wednesday failed to yield a breakthrough.

“Everyone is on standby,” one governor’s office source noted.

It’s unclear what remains the hold up in the closed door talks, especially after Hochul and the leaders have signaled a “general agreement” on the major policy proposals the governor is ramming through, including sweeping sanctuary state measures and moves meant to lower auto-insurance costs by cracking down on fraudsters.

"I would say are pretty much having conceptual agreement on the governor's four major policy proposals," Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Westchester) told reporters Tuesday.

The so-called “Hochul handshake” however hasn’t coincided with an actual total agreement between her and the legislature on the gargantuan package in recent years, with staff continuing to lock down details for days after the announcement.

“I know there is rumors out there of a handshake agreement,” state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt (R-Niagara) told reporters during a press conference with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman in the capitol Wednesday.

“I’ll tell you, a handshake in this town is not worth $265 billion, but that is ultimately what it will be,” Ortt continued.

Democrats have also used the closed-door process to quietly tuck other self-serving measures into the package. It was only revealed last year that they’d set up a $10 million fund to provide for embattled Attorney General Letitia James’ and other pols’ private legal fees.

James has yet to tap into the fund.

Blakeman made the pitch that voters should support him for governor to balance out Democrats’ one-party rule over the process and Albany at large.

“We are spending an inordinate amount of money of the taxpayers money, of the ratepayer's money, on programs that don’t work, that are excessive," Blakeman said. "They don’t make people happy. They don’t make people’s lives materially better, in fact in most cases they make people’s lives worse."

GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman met face-to-face with his longtime friend President Trump at the White House on Tuesday.

During an interview with The Post after the powwow, Blakeman declined to delve deeply into what he called a “confidential” conversation with the president, but said they talked about energy and economic policy, crime and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s anti-ICE policies.

"If Gov. Hochul and the legislature pass a law restricting local government from cooperating with ICE, I will sue them in federal court,” Blakeman said. 

“I don’t think they have the constitutional right to tell my police department not to work with a federal agency."

Blakeman, who is now serving as the Nassau County executive, confirmed he also met with the White House political operation. He wouldn’t confirm whether Trump would campaign for him, but hinted it could unfold.

"He’s very supportive and he’s going to be helpful,” Blakeman said. “I think he’ll be active in my campaign. I think he’ll be helpful.”

The face-to-face was met with derision by Hochul.

“That's just precious. I know he's going to get his marching orders,” she said, belittingly.

“I'm not surprised he's going down there to ask for his help in a struggling campaign. And so I think the voters will look at that with a skewed eye for how they feel about a candidate for governor having to go to the White House to get direction on what to do.”

But Hochul’s attempt at portraying Blakeman as a meek Trump toady at the White House arguably was hypocritical, given her own White House groveling.

When not publicly cosplaying as the Rambo-esque leader of the “resistance,” Hochul regularly chats chummily with Trump over the phone – and isn’t above visiting the White House.

She also presented Trump with a flattering storytime-style booklet last year touting the virtues of congestion pricing.

“Big words, nice colors,” Hochul joked at the time.

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Queens state Sen. Jessica Ramos is getting shredded -- figuratively speaking.

Assemblywoman Larinda Hooks is co-hosting a "Paper Shredding Event" outside the massive voter-rich Lefrak City housing development in her district on Saturday.

What's raising eyebrows in Democratic Party circles is that Hooks is co-sponsoring the event with neighboring Assemblywoman Jessica Gonzalez Rojas, who is challenging incumbent Ramos in the June 23 Democratic primary. 

The event is also in Ramos' 13th senatorial district, but it is not part of Gonzalez-Rojas' district.

According to the flyer obtained by The Post, Ramos is not part of the event.

The flier promoting the event also lists Elmhurst Hospital, part of the city's public hospital system, as an event sponsor.

Mayor Mamdani's deputy mayor for health, Helen Arteaga Landaverde, is the former CEO of Elmhurst Hospital, and recently co-hosted a fundraiser for Gonzalez-Rojas. 

Mamdani has yet to endorse in the race but Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive allies have the challenger. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards also backs Gonzalez-Rojas' insurgency against Ramos.

A Queens Democratic Party insider claimed government resources are being used to boost Gonzalez-Rojas and slight Ramos.

"It's a violation of the conflict of interest law. City and state resources are being used to promote Rojas' candidacy. It should be investigated," the source, who requested anonymity, said.

Hooks, who has not officially endorsed in the Senate race, had no immediate comment.

Rojas had no immediate comment.

A campaign spokesperson for Ramos dismissed the paper shredding alliance.

"Senator Ramos will be meeting with her constituents Saturday as she always does. Senator Ramos has passed laws to increase the minimum wage and other significant laws to help working people," said Ramos camp rep Hank Sheinkopft.

Borough President Richards laughed off the controversy.

"We all need to get paper shredded. I endorse the event!," he quipped.

Ex-con Hiram Monserrate, a former state senator and councilman, also is making another comeback bid in the 13th senatorial district, which includes Corona, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst.