First day of school for NYC public schoolchildren

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - Wednesday marked the first day of the 2018–2019 school year for New York City public school students.

The nation's largest school system enrolls 1.1 million students and employs more than 79,000 teachers in nearly 1,800 schools.

Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, who started his tenure in April, visited M.S. 137 in the Ozone Park section of Queens at about 6:30 a.m. He spoke with Fox 5 News about the year ahead.

"The challenges are how do we provide a high-quality education to every student, the 1.1 million students in New York City without exception, in every borough in every neighborhood," said Carranza. "For me, having arrived in April and having time to acclimate myself I feel like I've hit the ground running this year and am really excited for what's in store for the children this year."