Still, the results were surprisingly positive in many respects. Of the parks surveyed, 88 percent scored an A or B, on average, and no park received a failing grade. Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, which had scored a D on the last report card, raised its overall grade to 91. “Many problems that we identified in 2010 had been remedied, including broken benches in sitting areas and separating safety surfacing in the playgrounds,” the report said of Marcus Garvey.

Across all the parks surveyed, 6 of 11 features — sitting areas, natural areas, courts, athletic fields, playgrounds and trees — scored 90 or better.

Parks officials welcomed the results. “It shows steady improvement across the board in most areas and in most parks, and that’s what we’re striving for,” said Liam Kavanagh, the first deputy commissioner of the Department of Parks and Recreation.

He pointed to the department’s own regular inspection system, which is conducted every two weeks in every park. “We use that to judge our performance and look to where we have to correct problems,” Mr. Kavanagh said. “Having it validated by New Yorkers for Parks is a testament to the men and women out in the field every day maintaining parks.”

St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx received a perfect score of 100 for its drinking fountains, as it had in the last report card. But it lagged in other areas, earning a 63 for both its pathways, which were cracked and mud-covered, and lawns, which suffered from erosion. Seats were missing in the bleachers next to the baseball diamond, and a stairway had to be roped off for safety reasons. That brought its overall score to 78.

The slight improvement demonstrated in the report card came despite a steady decline in the parks department’s operations budget since the financial crisis. The total expense budget, which includes maintenance, fell to $338 million in the current fiscal year, from $367 million in 2008. That resulted in the loss of hundreds of positions. And that decrease occurred despite the addition of 750 acres of new parkland.

“Despite improved scores, the bottom line is that the parks department hasn’t had sufficient resources to keep up with the maintenance demands of 29,000 acres of parkland,” Ms. Leicht said. “We’re simply asking them to do the impossible.”