The top reported proficiency rate is 86% in Social studies. The lowest is 34% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Southeast Elementary School
Southeast Elementary School sits on Melody Lane in Brentwood, a densely populated hamlet in the Town of Islip on central Long Island, and serves grades one through five as part of the Brentwood Union Free School District. The school is a regular public elementary school, not a charter or magnet, and the district it belongs to is one of the larger ones among Suffolk County's school systems.
Brentwood itself is a car-dependent, diverse suburban community. Publicly reported sources describe it as one of the more affordably priced places in Suffolk County for single-family homes, with cape, ranch, colonial, and split-level housing stock dominant. Home values here are well below the Suffolk County median, though the county market overall remains expensive relative to state and national benchmarks, and values have continued to appreciate. The Brentwood LIRR station on the Ronkonkoma Branch provides a transit link for commuters, with connecting bus routes along the main corridors. Shopping is oriented toward strip retail rather than a walkable downtown. Civic anchors include the Brentwood Public Library, Ross Memorial Park, Brentwood State Park, and Suffolk County Community College's Grant Campus nearby. A publicly reported affordable housing project called Joseph's Village, converting a former academy site into dozens of units, is slated for construction starting in 2026, which signals continued residential growth in the immediate area.
The student body at Southeast Elementary is predominantly Hispanic, with most of the remaining enrollment made up of Black students and a small share of white students. A very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a demographic characteristic that places this school among high-need elementary schools within the district and in the county. The district participates in the federal Community Eligibility Provision, which means breakfast and lunch are served at no cost to all students, removing that expense entirely for families. Data on English learner rates and special education rates were not available in the data provided.
State assessment results on the New York State Testing Program are available for grades three through five in math, ELA, and fifth-grade science. Across those grades, proficiency rates land in a range that places the school's overall proficiency index below the midpoint among districts in Suffolk County. In math, proficiency rises modestly from third through fifth grade, with fifth grade showing the strongest results. In ELA, proficiency is lower across all tested grades, with fourth grade showing the weakest results of the tested cohorts. Fifth-grade science proficiency falls roughly in line with the lower end of the ELA results. These figures represent students scoring at levels three or four on the state scale, which is the state's proficiency benchmark. Trend data was not available for comparison, so whether these results represent improvement or decline over prior years cannot be assessed from the current data. A parent who wants to understand how progress has moved over time would want to ask the school directly. Social studies assessment data in the file dates to an earlier period and is not comparable to current results.
District context matters here for families thinking beyond elementary school. The Brentwood Union Free School District has publicly reported an active Graduation PLUS+ initiative at the high school level, expanding dual-enrollment and career pathways including a research course with Syracuse University for upperclassmen. Voters recently approved a substantial budget that includes a capital transfer to add classroom space at four elementary schools and to upgrade air conditioning, security systems, and technology. This construction push signals the district is actively addressing physical capacity, which is worth tracking if Southeast Elementary is among the affected buildings. Tax levies were held essentially flat for several consecutive years before modest recent increases, a relevant data point for homeowners.
No information on course access, staffing ratios, attendance rates, chronic absenteeism, or specific program offerings at Southeast Elementary itself was available in the data provided, and those gaps are worth raising directly with the school or district for a fuller picture of the daily student experience.
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