What’s Going On With the NYC DOE Rebrand as NYC Public Schools?

If you’ve received documents from the NYC Department of Education recently, you may have noticed a new name: NYC Public Schools. But what does this mean?

Is NYC DOE Now Called NYC Public Schools?

It’s starting to look that way. The rebranding to NYC Public Schools appears to be rolling out slowly, and somewhat inconsistently. Although you might assume that a change like this would come with a public announcement, so far there’s been no official launch that we could find.

Instead, the transition has been subtle. For example, the official schools.nyc.gov website prominently displays the NYC Public Schools logo. However, the Department’s LinkedIn page still refers to itself as the NYC Department of Education (as of March 28, 2025), while their YouTube channel already uses the new NYC Public Schools branding.

When Did the New Logo Start Appearing?

While we don’t know the exact date of the change, we have found that the NYC Public Schools logo has been in use since at least May 2023 ahead of the 2023-2024 school year. Even earlier, in November 2022, X users shared screenshots of what appears to be the new logo in use.

Despite that, many DOE employees still use email signatures that say NYC Department of Education. This shows the rebranding is still very much in progress and not yet fully implemented across all teams and divisions within the Department.

Mismatch Leading to Confusion

This kind of inconsistent rollout can cause confusion. A good example is the Special Education Standard Operating Procedures Manual, which features the NYC Public Schools logo. However, throughout the text, the manual still refers to the NYC Department of Education. Interestingly, the latest version of the manual was updated recently, on February 24, 2025, indicating that the difference in branding is current and intentional, at least for now.

Why Make the Change Now?

There’s no public explanation from the Department yet, but we can make a guess. Most likely, “NYC Public Schools” is clearer than “Department of Education.”

It’s also worth noting that because of the timing of past use of the logo, this rebranding does not appear to be a response to President Trump’s recent executive order to dismantle the federal Department of Education. That said, this change to NYC Public Schools could help create some distance from the federal agency.

What Does This Mean for Parents?

For now, the main takeaway is that you’ll likely start to see the NYC Public Schools name and logo more frequently, like on official documents from Committees on Special Education, and communications from schools. However, don’t be surprised if some documents and staff still reference the NYC Department of Education.

We’ll continue monitoring these developments and will share updates as they become available. For now, keep an eye out for the new name and logo.