Richard H O'rourke Middle School, Burnt Hills NY

Original Research by School Decision on Richard H O'rourke Middle School

Richard H. O'Rourke Middle School is a regular public middle school serving students in grades six through eight in Burnt Hills, a low-density residential hamlet in Saratoga County organized around Route 50. The school draws about two-thirds of its enrollment from Burnt Hills proper, with the remainder from surrounding towns in the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake district.

The school's academic profile is one of solid, above-midpoint proficiency across state-tested subjects. In math, seventh graders perform strongest, with a majority reaching proficiency, while sixth-grade math shows more variability. English language arts results hold more steadily across grades, with sixth grade performing above seventh and eighth. Eighth-grade science proficiency stands in the mid-to-high range. Overall, the school's mean proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile among districts in Schenectady County. This is a meaningful indicator of strong collective performance, though it also reflects variation: not all students reach proficiency in all subjects, and a parent should understand that state tests measure one narrow band of achievement. The school maintains high participation rates in testing, suggesting reliable data.

Demographically, the school body is predominantly white, reflecting the broader community's racial composition. About one in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate notably lower than many rural and suburban districts. The school serves no identified English learners or students with IEPs in the data provided; a parent may want to look into this further with the school, as those figures are often coded or subject to variation in how they are reported.

Burnt Hills itself is a well-established, family-oriented residential community with strong civic anchors including the Ballston Community Public Library, a YMCA, and town parks. It functions as a bedroom community to Schenectady, Saratoga Springs, and Albany; most residents commute to work. Housing values in the immediate area are above the state benchmark and have appreciated steadily. Property taxes are stable: the district has kept budgets below the state tax cap for more than a decade, with weighted average increases averaging modest growth since the mid-2010s, well below inflation. The town of Ballston has experienced residential growth over the past two decades and is actively directing new development into designated districts while preserving rural character through conservation subdivision rules.

The broader Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake district recently won voter approval for a substantial capital project focused on modernizing its elementary schools, which include buildings more than several decades old. The district has also shifted to a new K-5 reading curriculum aligned to the science of reading, a change that affects how literacy is taught to younger students. These moves signal ongoing investment in the district's instructional foundation.

The school sits in a car-dependent setting with no fixed-route public transit serving the hamlet; families rely on personal vehicles. There is no concentrated downtown or walkable center. The community is predominantly affluent and educated, which shapes peer environment and family engagement patterns.

State test data was not available for social studies at this school beyond a single older year, and chronic absenteeism and graduation-rate data were not provided, as those metrics do not apply to a middle school. IEP and English learner enrollment figures were missing and warrant direct inquiry with the school if these services matter to your family.

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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	55	100.0%
Science	43	100.0%

Math

Grade 667%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 779%

School 79% · District 79%

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

Grade 877%

School 77% · District 77% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 672%

School 72% · District 72%

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

Grade 766%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 866%

School 66% · District 66%

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

Science

Grade 878%

School 78% · District 77% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 894%

School 94% · district not reported

▲ 16 pts above state median

This schoolBURNT HILLS-BALLSTON LAKE 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 6Lower-income54%Higher-income75%21 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income42%Higher-income71%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income36%Higher-income76%40 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income49%Higher-income71%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income75%Higher-income80%5 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income52%Higher-income87%35 pp gap