The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in English language arts. The lowest is 41% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Northwest Elementary School
Northwest Elementary School serves kindergarten through second grade in Amityville, a small waterfront village on Long Island's south shore. The school sits within a tight-knit residential community anchored by a Long Island Rail Road station, downtown parks, and waterfront access, with a population across the school district of more than a few thousand. Amityville is undergoing deliberate revitalization through a major downtown investment, bringing new transit-oriented housing and commercial development alongside its historic small-town character.
The school enrolls about five hundred seventy-five students, with a demographic composition that is predominantly Hispanic, followed by Black students, with smaller shares of white, Asian, and multiracial students. A substantial share of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting significant economic need in the community. Specific data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available.
On the state assessments administered to third graders in the 2018-19 school year, proficiency rates at Northwest Elementary fell below the midpoint among Nassau County districts. In English language arts, about half the tested students met the proficiency standard. In mathematics, the proportion was somewhat lower. The participation rate in testing was around sixty percent, which a parent may want to understand further with the school. State assessment data for earlier grades was not available because New York does not test kindergarten and first and second grade students.
The school operates in a district facing real financial pressure. Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, the Amityville Union Free School District entered significant fiscal stress, leading to staff layoffs, budget cuts across programs, and a precarious moment for the district's smaller elementary school. While Northeast Elementary, the district's only pre-K campus, was nearly closed in 2024 but was kept open through one-time state funding, the underlying financial strain remains. Families should understand that instability at the district level can affect staffing continuity, program breadth, and future tax assessments. The district is working to stabilize, and parents may want to follow the district's budget outlook and any announcements about staffing or program changes.
Housing in the Amityville area is in the moderate to upper range for Long Island. The median home value in the 11701 zip code is above five hundred thousand dollars, with rental costs around twenty-eight hundred dollars per month. The market has shown some recent strengthening. For families considering a move to the area, these prices reflect suburban Long Island realities and should be weighed against the school's current academic positioning and the district's financial situation.
Starting in the 2025-26 school year, all New York public schools, including Northwest Elementary, must enforce a bell-to-bell ban on smartphones and personal internet-enabled devices. At the elementary level, students generally cannot bring devices to school. This is a meaningful shift in daily school culture for families accustomed to device connectivity.
Northwest Elementary is a regular public elementary school with no magnet, charter, or specialized program designation. Program offerings specific to the school were not available in the data. For families evaluating fit, the school is a small, neighborhood-based elementary serving the earliest grades in a district undergoing both community revitalization and financial restructuring. Academic results show room for growth, and the broader district context is one of active challenge and change that a parent should monitor as part of a decision about enrollment or residence.
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