Baldwin Middle School, Baldwin NY

Original Research by School Decision on Baldwin Middle School

Baldwin Middle School is a six-through-eight building serving a substantial and economically mixed population in the Baldwin LIRR-anchored hamlet on Nassau County's South Shore. The school enrolls a diverse student body across a range of household incomes, with roughly half the enrollment qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and the vast majority of students drawn from Black and Hispanic households, with smaller Asian, White, and multiracial populations.

State testing results show uneven academic performance across grades and subjects. In sixth grade, roughly half the students meet state proficiency in English language arts, with a similar share in math. By seventh grade, math proficiency increases notably to roughly three-fifths, while ELA stays in the low-to-mid range. Eighth grade presents a stark break: math proficiency collapses to single digits, while ELA holds to roughly half of test-takers meeting standards. Science proficiency in eighth grade sits at roughly one-third. Participation rates, particularly in eighth-grade math and science, are notably low, suggesting that a portion of the expected eighth-grade cohort either tested elsewhere or did not participate in state assessments.

The low eighth-grade math results and attendance warrant direct conversation with the school about the circumstances. A parent may want to explore with Baldwin Middle School leadership what accounts for the dramatic difference between seventh and eighth grade mathematics, whether some students are tested through alternative programs, and what transition or acceleration supports exist if your child is moving into that grade band.

English language arts remains more consistent across grades, hovering in the mid-range, suggesting foundational literacy instruction is more stable. Sixth graders show the highest ELA proficiency, and that slight downward slope through seventh to eighth may simply reflect the increasing complexity of grade-level text and reasoning demands.

The school sits below the midpoint for overall proficiency when compared against other districts in Nassau County, a positioning that reflects the broader challenge of academic achievement across the three grades served. Data on chronic absenteeism, staffing, course offerings, and special population supports such as English learner services were not available.

The school operates within the Baldwin Union Free School District, which recently passed a substantial capital bond in May 2024 after a previous bond rejection, committing to renovations of century-old buildings across the district, including high school facilities. More broadly, the district has undertaken Baldwin 2035, a K-12 curriculum redesign centered on future-focused academic programs and workforce skills, developed in collaboration with families and community members. These district-level shifts will shape the curricular and physical environment your child experiences.

Baldwin itself is a residential suburb experiencing downtown revitalization around its LIRR station and Grand Avenue commercial corridor. Housing values are solidly mid-to-upper-range for Nassau County. The community has a strong civic anchor in the Baldwin Public Library and Baldwin Park, and is positioned for new mixed-use apartment development that may bring younger families and students to the school in coming years.

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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
Math	288	87.0%
Science	145	97.0%

Math

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 763%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 7% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 53% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Science

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 33%

even with state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 890%

School 90% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

This schoolBALDWIN UNION FREE 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 6Lower-income29%Higher-income70%42 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income38%Higher-income61%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income41%Higher-income61%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income37%Higher-income53%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income52%Higher-income70%18 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income0%Higher-income13%13 pp gap