New York State’s Education Department has restricted access to data on students’ performance in Advanced Placement (AP) exams, raising concerns among education advocates and some private school operators about transparency and accountability in the state’s high school evaluations.

The controversy centers on the Education Department’s decision to block U.S. News & World Report from using AP exam results in its widely cited national high school rankings. Officials justified the move by citing student privacy concerns, asserting that the data could not be employed for a “commercial product.” However, critics argue that the department's rationale effectively limits public access to critical performance information.

Eva Moskowitz, founder of the Success Academy Charter Schools, publicly condemned the department’s action in a commentary for a major national newspaper. She contended that parents have a right to understand how well high schools prepare students for college-level work and labeled the state’s censorship as detrimental to educational transparency. Moskowitz further argued that if applied broadly, the Education Department’s reasoning could hinder reporting on numerous stories based on student data.

In response, Success Academy has filed a lawsuit against New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa, challenging the legal basis for restricting the data. The suit claims that withholding this information impedes parents’ ability to hold schools accountable and demand educational excellence.

The Education Department has not provided additional comment beyond the initial statement regarding privacy protections. Meanwhile, advocates for greater openness argue that AP performance data is essential for evaluating school effectiveness and guiding parental choice. Opponents counter that safeguarding student privacy remains a high priority and the department must balance transparency with legal and ethical obligations.

The dispute highlights ongoing tensions over data access and the role of standardized assessments in measuring school quality. As states and education organizations strive to provide meaningful metrics for families, the limits placed on publicly available information continue to spark debate over how best to ensure both accountability and privacy.