Bemus Point Central School District, NY

Original Research by School Decision on Bemus Point Central School District

Bemus Point Central School District serves a small, stable enrollment across prekindergarten through twelfth grade in Chautauqua County. The district operates two schools: Bemus Point Elementary and Maple Grove Junior/Senior High. Housing values in the district's service area sit in the middle range for the region, with rental stock limited but available. The market has shown modest appreciation and moderate activity in recent months.

Academically, the district's state test results show uneven performance across grades and subjects. In early elementary, third-grade math and English Language Arts proficiency are relatively strong. By the middle grades, proficiency rates drop notably. In mathematics, fourth and fifth grade sit around the middle of the distribution, while sixth and seventh grades decline further, and eighth grade math proficiency falls substantially below the midpoint. The pattern in ELA is somewhat less steep but follows a similar trajectory; seventh-grade performance dips sharply in both subjects. Science proficiency data are available for grades five and eight, showing moderate results in grade five and somewhat stronger results in eighth grade, though eighth-grade participation in science testing was low. These results place the district in the top quartile among Chautauqua County's districts on overall proficiency, a position that reflects strength in the lower grades and middle-of-the-road or better performance in some secondary subjects, but also signals that math and literacy support intensifies as students advance.

Chronic absenteeism sits above the county median, which a parent may want to discuss with the school to understand whether attendance is a concern in any particular grade or context. The district's per-pupil spending falls in the lower half of the county's middle range, a reflection of modest resources in a small, rural setting.

The district entered a significant structural change in late 2025 when it began sharing a superintendent with neighboring Chautauqua Lake Central School District. District leadership publicly clarified this arrangement is neither a merger nor a tuitioning agreement, but a cost-management step driven by declining enrollment that opens the door to expanded collaborative programming. This shared governance has already prompted concrete changes. Bemus Point Elementary adopted the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support framework used at Chautauqua Lake, shifting pedagogy toward encouraging positive behavior rather than punishing negative behavior. The collaboration also brought a new elementary swimming program for grades two through five and expanded special education resources. These are tangible shifts in the student experience.

The district has also moved forward on facility modernization as one of twenty-seven component districts in a regional 2026 Capital Improvement Project coordinated by the regional BOCES. The project addresses roofing, mechanical systems, safety upgrades, and technology across district buildings. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2028, and the project is substantially state-funded, meaning the district's cost burden is managed.

A community referendum in September 2024 initially rejected a bond for two electric school buses, but a second vote in March 2025 approved the purchase. This reflects local taxpayer deliberation over New York's state mandate requiring electric bus purchases beginning in 2027, a long-term financial commitment that the district is now beginning to meet.

The district does not report a four-year graduation rate in the available data, a gap that a parent seeking to understand secondary outcomes would want to address directly with the school. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch rates, special education enrollment, and English learner counts are also not publicly available in this dataset. The enrollment is small, with roughly equal distribution across grades, though each cohort is typically in the low double digits to mid-forties. The student body is predominantly white, with small numbers of Hispanic students and very small representation from other racial and ethnic groups. State testing participation rates are generally strong in the elementary and middle grades, though eighth-grade math participation drops noticeably.

For a family considering this district, the academic profile suggests relative strength in the early years with a need for careful attention to support as students move into middle grades, especially in mathematics. The recent structural and programmatic changes reflect an active engagement with neighboring schools and a willingness to adopt evidence-based practices like PBIS. The small size and rural setting create both stability and resource constraints that are visible in both test results and spending patterns.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

598

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 3%

Black 0%

White 97%

Asian 0%

Two+ 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr EOC

100%

—

Gr 3

53%

88%

Gr 4

76%

73%

Gr 5

40%

79%

Gr 6

60%

70%

Gr 7

21%

58%

Gr 8

58%

65%

Math

Gr EOC

80%

—

Gr 3

79%

84%

Gr 4

48%

68%

Gr 5

33%

79%

Gr 6

40%

67%

Gr 7

43%

46%

Gr 8

25%

42%

Science

Gr 5

33%

67%

Gr 8

70%

67%

Social studies

Gr EOC

—

Schools in this District

2 schools are officially reported under this district.

BEMUS POINT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

MAPLE GROVE JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

82%

Grade 3

59%

Grade 4

58%

Grade 5

57%

Grade 6

45%

Grade 7

35%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

73%

Grade 3

75%

Grade 4

61%

Grade 5

67%

Grade 6

45%

Grade 7

63%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

51%

Grade 5

68%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$248,628

Year-over-year change+3.3%

Range across 5 ZIP codes$121K to $329K

vs. state typical0.49x

vs. national typical0.68x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (5 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
14712	Bemus Point	$329K	+3.5%	56.1%
14701	Jamestown	$121K	+3.3%	35.7%
14728	Dewittville	$265K	+0.9%	7.3%
14782	Sinclairville	$158K	+5.0%	0.6%
14742	Greenhurst	$229K	+12.4%	0.3%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$957/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (1 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
14701	Jamestown	$957	—	35.7%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,255/mo

Home price / national median income3.0x

Annual rent / national median income13.7%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$298/mo

Market Activity: Chautauqua County

Median listing price$229,500

Median listing price YoY-4.8%

Median price per sq ft$139

Median price per sq ft YoY+3.7%

Median days on market53.5 days

Median days on market YoY+2.9%

Active listings300

Active listings YoY+45.6%

New listings164

New listings YoY+17.1%

Pending listings286

Pending listings YoY+26.0%

Hotness: median listing price$199,950

Hotness: median listing price YoY-9.3%

Supply score45.0

Supply score YoY+5.2%

Demand score65.5

Demand score YoY-11.2%

Median listing price (12 months)

Median price per sq ft (12 months)

Median days on market (12 months)

Active listings (12 months)

New listings (12 months)

Pending listings (12 months)

Hotness: median listing price (12 months)

Supply score (12 months)

Demand score (12 months)

Comparison

State typical home value$510,449 (+5.0% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.