The top reported proficiency rate is 32% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Truxton Academy Charter School
Truxton Academy Charter School sits on Academy Street in the small rural town of Truxton, in northeastern Cortland County. The building is the former Hartnett Elementary, and the school shares its address with the town's community center, placing it squarely at the civic core of a community that is otherwise defined by farmland, a handful of small businesses, and a commuter population that largely drives to work elsewhere. Truxton itself is a low-density place with a modest walkable village center along Route 13, a general store, and seasonal downtown banners honoring residents who have served. There is no public library within the town and no fixed-route transit.
The school is publicly reported to be the first rural elementary charter school in New York State. It opened with the youngest grades and added one grade per year until reaching its current K-6 range. That build-out is now complete, so a family enrolling today gets a settled structure rather than a program still finding its shape. Enrollment is small, and the publicly reported student-teacher ratio is notably low, meaning classes are very small by any standard.
The student body is overwhelmingly white and predominantly residential. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the rural, working-class character of the surrounding community. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in what we received.
Academically, the picture requires honest attention. On the New York State Testing Program, the most recent results show proficiency rates in both math and ELA that are low across the tested grades, with the fourth-grade results in both subjects particularly concerning. Third grade shows a somewhat stronger result in ELA than in math, and fifth grade is in a similar range, but across the board, most students are not reaching the proficient threshold. Sixth-grade results were suppressed due to the very small number of students tested, so no conclusion can be drawn there. Science results at fifth grade were similarly suppressed. The multi-year trend data was not available in what we received, but publicly reported sources describe this pattern of below-average proficiency as persistent across multiple recent school years. The school sits in the bottom quartile on overall proficiency relative to districts in Cortland County. A parent weighing these results may want to ask the school directly about its academic support strategies and what progress looks like over a child's full K-6 trajectory.
The school's educational model is publicly described as hands-on and project-based, with a Rural Life Lab, farm animals, gardening, and Spanish beginning in kindergarten. That approach is a matter of fit: families drawn to experiential, farm-anchored elementary learning in a very small setting will find something genuinely uncommon here. Families who prioritize test-score benchmarks as their primary measure will want to weigh those results carefully.
One administrative matter warrants mention. A 2025 audit by the New York State Comptroller found that the school overbilled its students' home school districts for state aid tied to special education services across two recent school years, because officials did not follow state guidance, lacked supporting documentation, and had inadequate billing procedures. School officials agreed with the findings and indicated corrective action. Because a charter school's funding depends on billing accuracy, this is a financial management issue a parent may want to follow up on with the school.
Housing in Truxton is priced well below the statewide median, and values have risen modestly year over year, making it an accessible entry point into homeownership by New York standards. Rental data was not available for the immediate area.
Graduation rate does not apply here, as the school serves only through sixth grade. Students who complete sixth grade move on to Homer Central School District for their secondary education, which means the academic pathway beyond Truxton Academy runs through a separate institution in a neighboring community.
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