Clayton Huey Elementary School, Center Moriches NY

Original Research by School Decision on Clayton Huey Elementary School

Clayton Huey Elementary School serves children from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Center Moriches on Long Island's South Shore. The school's enrollment stands at a mid-sized level for its grade span, with a student body that is majority white, and a substantial share of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. A noteworthy slice of the student population identifies as American Indian or Alaska Native, and a meaningful minority identifies as Hispanic or Latino.

The district has anchored itself around the International Baccalaureate framework. Clayton Huey is an IB candidate school, positioning it within a larger ecosystem where the middle school and high school are both fully authorized IB World Schools. This curricular philosophy is a defining institutional choice that shapes pedagogy and expectations across the elementary grades and flows into the secondary pathway. For families drawn to that pedagogical model, it is a durable district feature that persists across a child's enrollment.

State test results for third through fifth grade show proficiency rates in the mid-range. In third-grade math and English language arts, roughly six in ten students meet proficiency. In fourth and fifth grade, proficiency drops below that mark. In fifth-grade English language arts and science, fewer than four in ten students demonstrate proficiency. The school's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint when compared against districts elsewhere in Suffolk County, though the downward trend in upper elementary grades is a pattern a parent may want to look into with the school directly.

Participation rates on state assessments run below the mid-sixties in third grade and dip into the mid-to-upper fifties in later grades. This variation warrants an understanding of why some students are not participating in testing and what supports might be in place.

The district has weathered infrastructure constraints. A major capital bond to fund building upgrades, including repairs to roofs, boilers, sidewalks, an auditorium, and locker rooms, was put to voters twice and failed both times. Those aging facility needs remain unfunded. This is a concrete fact families should know: capital improvements hang in abeyance, and tax proposals related to these repairs may resurface.

Center Moriches itself is a small hamlet on the South Shore, anchored by a public library, town parks including the Terrell River County Nature Preserve and a public beach, and a historical society. The area once had rail service through an LIRR station, now closed; transit today relies on Suffolk County bus routes. The housing market in the area has shown stability, with median home values reflecting a moderate, suburban investment and modest year-over-year appreciation. For families considering the district, the IB framework and elementary proficiency context are the educational anchors; the failed bond votes signal that capital needs will merit family attention to future district communications.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 48% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 51%

even with state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 357%

School 57% · District 56% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 46% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 597%

School 97% · district not reported

▲ 5 pts above state median · even with county median

This schoolCENTER MORICHES 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 3Lower-income28%Higher-income67%40 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income41%Higher-income50%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income22%Higher-income52%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income43%Higher-income67%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income58%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income61%26 pp gap