Elsmere Elementary School, Delmar NY

Original Research by School Decision on Elsmere Elementary School

Elsmere Elementary School is a kindergarten through fifth-grade school in Delmar that enrolls about two hundred thirty students. The school is part of Bethlehem Central School District, a mid-sized district serving the towns of Bethlehem and New Scotland in Albany County.

Academically, Elsmere's proficiency results show strength. In math, third through fifth graders demonstrate solid performance, with students in the upper grade showing the highest proficiency. In English language arts, grades three and five score in the mid-to-high range, while grade four dips somewhat lower. In fifth-grade science, proficiency is solid. Across these tested subjects and grade levels, Elsmere ranks in the top quartile among elementary schools in the county, a meaningful marker of relative strength.

The student body is predominantly white, with modest racial and ethnic diversity. About one in nine students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, suggesting a student population drawn largely from middle-income households. Enrollment data on special education and English learners was not available. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet school.

Families should be aware of two district-level developments that touch this school directly. First, in January 2026 the Board of Education approved an elementary rezoning plan that will begin moving students to balance enrollment across the district's elementary schools. Beginning in 2028-29, about fifteen students from nearby Slingerlands will shift to Elsmere. This means the school's composition and size will change; parents considering this area should ask the district about expected enrollment impacts and any facility or staffing adjustments that might follow.

Second, the district has approved a capital project for 2027 to 2029 that will modernize more than fifty classrooms and add air conditioning to known hot spots across all seven schools, financed without an increase in tax burden. This is a concrete facilities investment that addresses a long-standing parent concern about summer conditions in elementary classrooms.

The broader context is worth noting. Delmar is a residential suburb of Albany, centered on Delaware Avenue, which functions as the hamlet's civic spine and contains the town hall, police station, library, and the district office. The area is characterized by tree-lined streets, older established homes alongside newer construction, and a small-town feel. Housing values have risen in recent years, though specific figures are in the housing data sections. The district faces mounting budget pressure; the 2026-27 budget closed a gap with a maximum allowable tax-levy increase and drew from reserves, and officials have signaled this strategy cannot continue indefinitely. Over the next few years, parents should expect either higher tax increases or potential service adjustments.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 378%

School 78% · District 72% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 75% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 587%

School 87% · District 77% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 385%

School 85% · District 76% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 73% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 586%

School 86% · District 72% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Science

Grade 577%

School 77% · District 69% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 5100%

School 100% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

This schoolBETHLEHEM 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-income60%Higher-income80%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income97%63 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income67%Higher-income83%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income57%Higher-income93%36 pp gap