Back to school for 51,000 NYC students as roughly 700,000 remain remote

NEW YORK - Monday marked the return to the classroom for 51,000 New York City public school students. 

In-person learning resumed for students in pre-school through high school who have opted to switch from remote learning. 

The city's Department of Education estimated that overall 360,000 students would be back in the classroom, which is less than 40% of the more than 1 million public school students in the NYC public school system. Roughly 700,000 students will be learning remotely.

Mayor Bill de Blasio tried to encourage more students to return to school buildings before the last opt-in window closed earlier this month. 

"By September everyone will be welcome back five days a week, and I think that is crucial for the entire recovery of the city and things are moving really well, but New York City public schools have been the safest places in New York City, and that's going to help make everything else work," de Blasio said.

RELATED: Despite push by officials, many NYC parents opt-out of in-person instruction