More than four in 10 New York public schools reported at least one drinking water outlet with lead levels above the state’s allowable threshold, according to a new analysis that found some Finger Lakes counties among the most affected areas in the state.
The September report, produced by the New York Public Interest Research Group Fund, Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group, analyzed the most recent lead testing data reported by 4,514 public schools and BOCES facilities to the New York State Department of Health. It found 1,918 schools — 42% of those analyzed — had at least one outlet testing above New York’s 5 parts per billion action level.
Across the state, 12,452 of 221,078 tested outlets exceeded 5 ppb. Those outlets can include drinking fountains, faucets used for cooking and other fixtures that can supply water for consumption.
The report’s authors argue the findings show New York’s decade-old approach to testing and remediating individual outlets has not gone far enough. They are calling for filters on all school drinking and cooking taps and a tougher 1 ppb standard.
New York currently requires public schools, charter schools and BOCES facilities to test potable water outlets every three years and take an outlet out of service for drinking or cooking when a test exceeds 5 ppb.
Seneca County had highest share of affected outlets statewide
The report identified Seneca County as having the highest percentage of tested school water outlets above the state threshold.
Of 243 outlets included in the county data, 50 tested above 5 ppb, or 20.6%. Six of the 11 schools analyzed in Seneca County had at least one outlet above the threshold.
That percentage of affected outlets was higher than every other county in New York.
The report’s underlying data included revised results for South Seneca Elementary School and South Seneca Middle/High School after researchers reviewed detailed district testing records and found discrepancies between those records and data originally reported to the state.
For South Seneca Elementary, researchers ultimately counted 11 outlets above 5 ppb and 11 at or below the threshold. At South Seneca Middle/High School, two outlets were counted above the threshold and 23 at or below it.
The report cautions that those figures represent the most recent results included in its analysis and should not be interpreted as a complete historical record of every test performed at those schools.
Tompkins, Monroe, Wayne and Livingston also stand out
Tompkins County ranked among the five counties with the highest percentage of schools having at least one affected outlet.
Twelve of 16 schools analyzed in Tompkins County — 75% — had at least one test above 5 ppb. The report counted 36 affected outlets among 526 with results, or 6.8%.
Only Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Chautauqua and Lewis counties had a higher percentage of schools with at least one exceedance.
Monroe County also ranked near the top statewide. Of 146 schools analyzed, 102 — 69.9% — had at least one outlet above 5 ppb. Researchers counted 1,069 affected outlets out of 7,862 tested, or 13.6%.
That put Monroe among the 10 counties with the highest percentage of outlets above the state threshold.
Wayne County showed a similar pattern. Twenty-four of 38 schools, or 63.2%, had at least one exceedance, while 230 of 1,873 outlets tested above 5 ppb, a rate of 12.3%.
Livingston County also had 63.2% of schools affected, with 12 of 19 schools reporting at least one outlet above the threshold. Its outlet exceedance rate was 10.8%, with 123 of 1,140 outlets above 5 ppb.
Results varied significantly across the Finger Lakes
Other Finger Lakes counties posted lower percentages, although most still had schools with at least one outlet above the state standard.
Cayuga County had 13 of 22 schools with at least one exceedance, or 59.1%. Seventy-seven of 974 tested outlets, or 7.9%, were above 5 ppb.
In Ontario County, 14 of 33 schools — 42.4% — had at least one affected outlet. The report counted 103 exceedances among 2,597 outlets, or 4%.
Schuyler County had one of six schools with an exceedance, or 16.7%, while five of 180 outlets, or 2.8%, tested above the threshold.
Yates County was the lone county in the region where the report found no outlets above 5 ppb. All 448 outlets included from four schools were reported at or below the state threshold.
The authors stressed that a result at or below 5 ppb does not mean no lead was present. New York does not require remediation based solely on tests between 1 and 5 ppb, and those lower-level results are not included in the state database in the same way exceedances are.
Report questions whether 5 ppb is protective enough
One of the report’s central arguments is that New York’s 5 ppb action level remains too high.
The authors point to the American Academy of Pediatrics, which has recommended that school water fountains not exceed 1 ppb of lead.
The state’s threshold determines when mandatory action is triggered. Under Department of Health rules, an outlet testing above 5 ppb must immediately be removed from service for drinking and cooking, an alternative source of water must be provided, a remediation plan must be implemented and post-remediation testing must be performed.
The report argues that children may still be exposed at outlets testing between 1 and 5 ppb even though those fixtures do not trigger mandatory remediation.
Researchers cited examples from individual schools where a large share of outlets tested positive for lead but remained below the state action level.
At Clarence Center Elementary School in Erie County, for example, researchers said initial 2024 testing found 33 of 82 outlets above 5 ppb and another 33 between 1 and 5 ppb. That meant 80% of outlets showed detectable lead, while only the fixtures above 5 ppb required remediation under state law.
Authors say testing can miss recurring problems
The report also challenges the premise behind New York’s existing “test and fix” system.
Lead generally enters water from pipes, fixtures and plumbing materials rather than from the original water source. Concentrations can vary depending on water chemistry, how often an outlet is used and other conditions.
The authors argue that means a faucet that tests below the state limit at one point can exceed it later.
They found early evidence of that pattern in the current 2026-28 testing cycle.
As of July 13, 525 schools had submitted some testing data for the new compliance period. Of those, 312 — 59% — reported more outlets exceeding 5 ppb than appeared in their final 2023-25 results.
Nearly all of those schools were in New York City, which had submitted the vast majority of early 2026 results, so the finding cannot yet be treated as representative of schools statewide.
Still, researchers highlighted several cases where outlets that had previously tested below the threshold later tested substantially higher.
At Valley Stream Central High School, one culinary arts outlet tested at exactly 5 ppb in 2023, which did not exceed the state standard. In June 2026, according to the report, that outlet tested at 220 ppb.
At P.S. 100 in Queens, the state database showed zero outlets above 5 ppb after remediation during the previous testing cycle. Testing in April 2026 found 13 of 89 samples above the threshold, including one kitchen outlet at 378 ppb.
The authors say those cases illustrate why a single test below the threshold cannot guarantee an outlet will remain below it.
State audit previously identified testing and reporting problems
The new analysis also builds on concerns raised late last year by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
A December 2025 audit of 21 New York school districts found none of the districts had sampled, tested or properly exempted every potable outlet auditors determined should have been addressed.
Auditors identified 6,431 outlets and found 1,867, or 29%, had not been sampled or properly exempted. Another 418 could not be matched to a testing record, according to the comptroller.
Only one of the 21 districts had a complete sampling plan, only one had a complete remediation plan and only one properly reported results to all required parties within required time frames.
The new report cites those findings as another indication that the state’s existing framework has not always been implemented consistently.
Researchers also found problems in state data
The report does not present the Department of Health database as error-free.
The state says its school lead data are self-reported and transferred to Health Data NY largely as submitted by schools.
Researchers found instances where the numbers submitted by schools appeared inconsistent with detailed testing reports published by individual districts.
They manually reviewed 39 schools where reported test totals exceeded the number of outlets schools said required testing. Ultimately, the authors adjusted figures for 18 schools, including South Seneca Elementary, South Seneca Middle/High School, Naples Elementary School and Dryden Elementary School.
The report also notes another limitation: its county totals generally reflect the most recent results available for each school rather than every lead exceedance recorded since 2023.
If an outlet initially tested above 5 ppb, was remediated and then passed a later test, the most recent data may show that school with fewer or no current exceedances. That means the statewide total of 12,452 affected outlets is not a count of every fixture that has tested high during the compliance period.
The authors said the 2026-28 reporting system should improve transparency by separately identifying initial exceedances and post-remediation exceedances and requiring schools to specify what remediation was performed.
Report calls for filters instead of relying on tests
Rather than continuing to base action primarily on periodic testing, the organizations behind the report want New York to adopt what they call a “filter first” system.
Their proposal would require certified lead-removal filters on every tap used for drinking, cooking or beverage preparation, with a post-filtration target of 1 ppb.
They also recommend replacing or disconnecting stand-alone drinking fountains that cannot accommodate point-of-use filters and using filtered bottle-filling stations instead.
The authors point to Michigan, which adopted a statewide filter-first law in 2023, as a model.
They cite research finding filters certified to applicable NSF/ANSI standards were highly effective at reducing lead concentrations, though they also acknowledge filters require proper installation, maintenance and continued monitoring.
The report calls on New York to provide sufficient funding to schools to cover those costs.
That recommendation represents the position of the organizations that produced the report. New York’s current policy remains mandatory testing every three years, with remediation required when an outlet exceeds 5 ppb.
New round of testing is still underway
The statewide picture will continue changing as schools complete the 2026-28 compliance cycle.
The Department of Health says schools must test all outlets that are used or could potentially be used for drinking or cooking, including in buildings previously considered lead-free.
Schools must notify local health departments within one business day when results exceed 5 ppb and notify parents, guardians and staff within 10 business days.
The report’s authors based their analysis on data downloaded July 13, meaning most schools had not yet completed or reported testing for the current three-year cycle.
As a result, the county-by-county figures are best understood as a snapshot of the most recent available testing — not a final assessment of current conditions in every New York school.
Even with that limitation, the findings show substantial regional differences and thousands of fixtures statewide still exceeding New York’s lead standard a decade after the state became the first in the nation to require school drinking water testing.
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