New York was hit with an onslaught of record-breaking rain last September, leading to flash flooding across the city. As the storm pummeled the five boroughs, a leak sprung at Pace High School in Chinatown, soaking the rubber flooring of its basement gym. When the floor dried, it was bumpy and uneven, rendering it almost unusable.

For months, the school’s pleas to the City Council for funding to replace it went unanswered. Then, in December, The Pacer, the high school’s student newspaper, ran a 700-word article on the worsening issue.

This time, the City Council responded, agreeing to provide $750,000 for the gym’s renovation, according to the local council member and the school’s principal.

It was a big win for the 4-year-old, student-run outlet — and it exemplified a vanishing experience for New York City’s students. Only 27 percent of public high schools in the city have a student newspaper, down from roughly 50 percent in 2009.

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The problem is even more stark at schools with many low-income students: Just seven of the 100 public schools with the highest rates of student poverty have student-run publications, according to data from Baruch College.

“When I got into journalism class, everything clicked for me,” said Katelynn Seetaram, 16, the editor in chief of The Pacer, who won an award from Baruch for her sports writing last year. “I was like, OK, you know what? This is it.”

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