New York City Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels told the City Council on Monday that meeting the state's new class size mandate will be "very difficult" for the district to achieve.

Testifying during a City Council hearing, Samuels tempered expectations that the Department of Education could reach the mandated 80% compliance rate with the new law, even as the city's public school enrollment continues to decline.

The state class size mandate requires school districts to reduce the number of students in classrooms across grade levels. The law represents a significant shift in how New York manages its public education system, which serves over one million students.

Samuels' comments suggest the city faces logistical and resource challenges in implementing the requirements, despite having fewer students to educate than in previous years. The Department of Education has not specified what obstacles are preventing compliance with the mandate.

The testimony comes as the city works to balance educational mandates with budget constraints and operational realities in the nation's largest public school system.