Alden Middle School, Alden NY - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Alden Middle School

Alden Middle School serves grades second through eighth in a small town on the eastern edge of Erie County, roughly a half hour east of Buffalo. The school enrollment is small, and students are predominantly white. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school's recent state assessment results show uneven proficiency. In math, performance improves sharply across grade levels: sixth grade hovers around the midpoint, seventh grade is stronger, and eighth grade reaches a solid proficiency rate. In English language arts, sixth grade sits near the midpoint, but seventh grade proficiency drops sharply, recovering somewhat by eighth grade. Eighth grade science proficiency is below the midpoint. Across the tested grades and subjects for which data is available, Alden Middle's overall proficiency index places it above the median among the county's districts, though the wide grade-to-grade and subject-to-subject variation suggests uneven mastery across the school's population.

A parent may want to look into the school's support structures further, especially around seventh-grade literacy performance, since the sharp drop in ELA proficiency at that grade is notable. The low participation rates in eighth-grade science and social-studies testing also merit conversation with the school, as they may reflect alternative pathways, scheduling, or other factors that are not evident in the data provided.

Alden is a rural village centered on Broadway and surrounding farmland. Retail, the library, and village offices cluster in the compact downtown along the main street, though most of the town is car-oriented. Housing values are modest and stable. The area has seen recent multifamily development, including new townhome communities, and is described as tight on inventory. The school district itself is investing substantially: voters approved a major capital improvement project in late 2024 with funding from state aid and existing reserves and no additional local tax, covering roof replacement, playground and library renovations, and systems upgrades across all four district buildings, with work beginning in summer 2025. The district has also expanded its career-and-technical education pathway at the high school, with welding, machining, robotics, and CAD/CAM offerings developed in partnership with local industry, creating workforce pathways for students pursuing skilled trades rather than a traditional college route. That ecosystem may shape the academic climate and options available as students move toward high school.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

New York Regents Exams

2 courses reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Science	24	100.0%
Math	22	100.0%

Math

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 764%

School 64% · District 64%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 884%

School 84% · District 84%

▲ 47 pts above state median · ▲ 59 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 45% · ▲ 1 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 732%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 865%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Science

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 894%

School 94% · district not reported

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

This schoolALDEN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income41%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income32%Higher-income41%9 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income48%9 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income22%Higher-income36%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income60%Higher-income65%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income63%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income55%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income44%Higher-income53%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income57%Higher-income67%10 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income83%Higher-income84%1 pp gap