East Rockaway Union Free School District, NY

Original Research by School Decision on East Rockaway Union Free School District

East Rockaway Union Free School District is a small district covering southeastern Nassau County that serves kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district enrollment is distributed across a junior-senior high school and two elementary buildings, with the elementary enrollment showing some imbalance—a pattern the district is now actively working to address through a potential reorganization.

The academic profile is mixed. In elementary grades, math proficiency runs in the low to mid-range, with fourth grade performing relatively stronger than third or fifth. English language arts is similarly variable, with third grade above half proficient and fourth grade below, then improving again in the upper elementary years. Science proficiency in fifth grade sits in the mid-40s. By middle grades, performance becomes more volatile. Seventh grade math performs notably above the pattern, approaching three-quarters proficient, while eighth grade shows extremely limited test data and cannot be reliably assessed. Eighth-grade English language arts shows a meaningful dip, with only a bit over a third of students at proficiency. Overall, the district's proficiency index places it below the midpoint among Nassau County's districts, suggesting academic attainment that parents may want to explore further with the schools themselves.

A pedagogical shift now underway across the district is the move to project-based learning, with all teachers having completed multi-year professional development and full implementation established by late 2025. This represents a deliberate turn from instructor-led to student-led, hands-on learning grounded in the Gold Standard PBL framework. For families, this is a substantive teaching approach change worth understanding in detail.

The district has also opened a Universal Pre-Kindergarten program funded by new state aid, offering free enrollment for four-year-olds through a lottery system, including placements at an external JCC site. This is new program access for families with younger children.

A third major change is under active discussion but not yet final: a "Princeton Plan" reorganization of the two elementary schools. The proposal would separate grades K-3 into one building and grades 4-6 into another, potentially beginning in the 2027-28 school year. Because the district does not provide busing for most students, the plan would add shuttle service between the buildings at cost to taxpayers, and it would change which school a child attends. Parents should treat this as a possibility worth monitoring but not yet a decided change.

The community itself is suburban, with housing values and rental costs in the mid to upper range for the Nassau market. The district's student body is diverse by race and ethnicity, with white students representing just over half the enrollment, Hispanic students roughly a third, and Asian, Black, and multiracial students together making up the remainder.

Chronic absenteeism sits at a level slightly below the county midpoint, suggesting attendance is in the reasonable range. Per-pupil spending is in the upper-middle tier among county districts. The district's four-year graduation rate was not available in the data provided, so a parent with a high school student may want to ask the district directly for that measure.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

1,128

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 31%

Black 4%

White 53%

Asian 6%

Two+ 5%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr EOC

87%

—

Gr 3

37%

68%

Gr 4

20%

53%

Gr 5

35%

65%

Gr 6

44%

61%

Gr 7

44%

69%

Gr 8

10%

48%

Math

Gr EOC

51%

—

Gr 3

44%

55%

Gr 4

27%

73%

Gr 5

31%

63%

Gr 6

33%

62%

Gr 7

56%

80%

Science

Gr EOC

50%

—

Gr 5

17%

54%

Social studies

Gr EOC

87%

—

Schools in this District

3 schools are officially reported under this district.

CENTRE AVENUE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

EAST ROCKAWAY JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

RHAME AVENUE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

5 grades reported

51%

Grade 3

62%

Grade 4

55%

Grade 5

52%

Grade 6

72%

Grade 7

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

57%

Grade 3

45%

Grade 4

56%

Grade 5

55%

Grade 6

62%

Grade 7

37%

Grade 8

Science

1 grade reported

45%

Grade 5

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$739,492

Year-over-year change+2.5%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$726K to $965K

vs. state typical1.45x

vs. national typical2.01x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
11518	East Rockaway	$726K	+2.0%	80.8%
11563	Lynbrook	$746K	+4.8%	12.2%
11570	Rockville Centre	$965K	+5.1%	3.8%
11572	Oceanside	$778K	+4.6%	3.1%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$2,837/mo

Range across 3 ZIP codes$2,806 to $3,434/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (3 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
11518	East Rockaway	$2,806	—	80.8%
11563	Lynbrook	$2,862	—	12.2%
11570	Rockville Centre	$3,434	—	3.8%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$3,732/mo

Home price / national median income8.8x

Annual rent / national median income40.7%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$894/mo

Market Activity: Nassau County

Median listing price$949,995

Median listing price YoY+5.7%

Median price per sq ft$549

Median price per sq ft YoY+6.0%

Median days on market38.0 days

Median days on market YoY-8.4%

Active listings2,454

Active listings YoY+5.8%

New listings1,564

New listings YoY-1.3%

Pending listings1,616

Pending listings YoY-36.8%

Hotness: median listing price$934,000

Hotness: median listing price YoY+3.9%

Supply score81.9

Supply score YoY+19.1%

Demand score35.3

Demand score YoY+15.1%

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.