Marguerite L Mulvey School, Central Islip NY

Original Research by School Decision on Marguerite L Mulvey School

Marguerite L. Mulvey School is a public elementary school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in Central Islip on Long Island. The school enrolls students in a district serving a community in the midst of active revitalization, though its own test results and economic context present both considerable need and a developing picture.

The school's student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a large share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment spans across kindergarten and the elementary grades, with the largest grade concentrations in sixth grade and the youngest years. Within the county districts of Suffolk, the school's overall proficiency rate across tested subjects and grades falls in the bottom quartile, a finding worth understanding in detail.

In mathematics, grade four shows the strongest performance, with about half of tested students reaching proficiency. Third grade mathematics proficiency is notably lower. Grade five and six mathematics results fall below fourth grade. English language arts follows a similar pattern: fourth and fifth grades show proficiency rates near half, while third and sixth grades perform substantially lower. In fifth-grade science, the proficiency rate is below that same threshold. A parent may want to look into the school's intervention strategies and any grade-level supports with the school directly, as the results suggest students face considerable academic challenges, particularly in the lower and upper elementary grades.

The school participates in state testing with high attendance rates. No data on students receiving special education services or English learner support was available.

Central Islip itself is a diverse, growing community on Long Island's south shore. It is largely car-dependent, though the area is experiencing planned transit-oriented revitalization around the Central Islip LIRR station and the Carleton Avenue corridor. Major civic anchors include the federal and state court complex, Touro University's professional schools, and recreation facilities including a minor-league ballpark. Health care, retail trade, and manufacturing are the primary employment sectors. Housing values in the area have appreciated modestly, and the rental market is active. The community is in early stages of a state-sponsored revitalization initiative aimed at bringing mixed-use and affordable housing development.

The school sits within the Central Islip Union Free School District, which serves the surrounding residential areas. The district has faced significant uncertainty in recent years due to a proposed charter high school application that has been the subject of community opposition and legal challenge. As of early 2026, the status remained unresolved, creating potential implications for district funding and program stability. Property taxes in the district have risen modestly each year within the state-imposed levy cap, with the most recent budgets allocating funds to academics, athletics, music, and instructional technology. A parent weighing the school should understand both the district's commitment to its public schools and the ongoing charter application process that could affect its long-term resources and priorities.

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Academic performance

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

Advanced Placement & IB

3 subjects offered · 2023-24

Each card is one AP or IB subject. The headline number is the share of students scoring 3 or higher on the exam — the threshold for college credit at most universities. The bar below each rate shows the underlying distribution across performance levels.

Score:12· no credit345· extremely well qualified

Math and Computer Science

Computer Science Principles

1 tested · HS

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Sciences

Environmental Science

1 tested · HS

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Other

Language and Comp

1 tested · HS

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Math

Grade 324%

School 24% · District 39% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 42% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 33% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 34% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 32% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 39% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 39% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 33% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 25% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

This schoolCENTRAL ISLIP 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-income23%Higher-income15%8 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income51%Higher-income38%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income47%Higher-income51%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income23%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income28%Higher-income17%11 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income60%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income40%4 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income21%11 pp gap