The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in Social studies. The lowest is 31% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Loretta Park Elementary School
Loretta Park Elementary School is a regular public elementary school serving grades one through five in Brentwood, a diverse, car-oriented suburban hamlet on central Long Island in Suffolk County. The school sits in a community shaped by affordable single-family housing, modest incomes, and significant residential density, with a median home price below the county average. Student enrollment is around 640, with a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, Black, and white, and a substantial majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the neighborhood.
The school's most salient characteristic is the composition of its student population. More than nine out of ten students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, signaling concentrated economic need. The school participates in the federal Community Eligibility Provision, meaning all enrolled students receive breakfast and lunch at no cost regardless of household income, a concrete support that removes meal costs as a family expense. Hispanic students represent the vast majority of enrollment; Black, white, and multiracial students make up the remainder. Data on English learner enrollment and students with disabilities was not available, so a parent may want to look into the school's support services directly with staff.
State test results from 2024-25 show proficiency levels below the midpoint for schools in Suffolk County across tested subjects and grades. In third-grade math, roughly a quarter of tested students scored at proficiency. Fourth-grade math proficiency was near half; fifth-grade math and English language arts each showed proficiency rates between roughly two-fifths and forty-four percent. Fifth-grade science proficiency was the lowest, near thirty percent. Across all grades and subjects, proficiency was approaching or below the county median. Student participation in testing was strong overall, ranging between eighty-two and ninety-four percent, indicating the data reflects most students in the tested cohorts.
The elementary grades themselves are not tested by the state on any statewide benchmark, so reading and mathematics proficiency at grades one and two are not measured in the data provided. This gap is by design; New York tests grades three through five in elementary school.
The district is managing enrollment growth through capital investment. In 2026, voters approved a spending plan that includes a transfer to capital allowing construction of additional classroom space at four elementary schools, including anticipated work on air conditioning, security systems, and technology infrastructure. This addresses space and learning-environment quality that families typically consider. The district has also held property-tax levies relatively flat over recent years, a pattern that affects what homeowners pay, before returning to modest increases in the most recent budgets.
Brentwood as a place is primarily car-dependent, with minimal walkability and commercial life centered on strip retail such as the Marketplace at Brentwood near the Long Island Expressway and Sagtikos Parkway. The community has a public library in the village core near bus transit and the LIRR Brentwood station, which connects to several county bus routes. Parks include Ross Memorial Park and Brentwood State Park. Housing is dominated by single-family homes in ranch, cape, and split-level styles, with relatively affordable prices compared to much of Long Island. The area is on a growth trajectory, with major adaptive-reuse housing projects approved, including a conversion of the former Academy of St. Joseph into roughly 150 affordable units with construction starting in 2026.
State assessment data was not available for prior years, so trend comparison was not possible. Graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data are not applicable to an elementary school. A parent considering this school should plan to contact the school directly about special education and English learner services, staff-to-student ratios, enrichment offerings, and the learning environment in the building, since those dimensions fall outside the provided data.
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