Cincinnatus Elementary School, Cincinnatus NY

Original Research by School Decision on Cincinnatus Elementary School

Cincinnatus Elementary School serves pre-kindergarten through fourth grade in a rural hamlet at the eastern edge of Cortland County. The school sits on the shared campus of the Cincinnatus Central School District, a few miles from the small downtown in the Otselic River valley. The enrollment is small, roughly two hundred students, with about half of them qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, and the school draws from a town where most residents own their homes and where growth has been slow.

On state tests, the school's performance is mixed and sits in the top quartile among districts in Cortland County overall. In math, third-graders reach proficiency at a rate just above the midpoint, while fourth-graders fall below midpoint. In English language arts, the pattern reverses: fourth-graders perform just above midpoint while third-graders are somewhat below. Science results, from the most recent data available, showed stronger performance at the fourth-grade level. The data suggests that foundational skills vary across grades and subjects. A parent may want to look into the school's approach to early numeracy and how reading fluency is supported, as these numbers indicate room to strengthen.

The town itself is quiet and mostly residential, spanning rolling farmland and forest with a small civic center rather than a walkable downtown. There is car dependence throughout; the school sits slightly apart from the hamlet's commercial core. Major employers are limited; the school district itself is among the significant local employers, and many working residents commute to Cortland or Norwich for jobs. Housing is predominantly older, and the town's population has declined modestly over recent years, though home values have risen and remain relatively affordable compared to state benchmarks.

The district has secured a substantial capital project approved by voters in December 2024 that will fund over twenty facility improvements across the schools. Construction is planned for 2026 and 2027 with completion expected by fall 2027. Importantly, this project carries no additional tax burden on families; it is funded through state building aid, capital reserves, and existing unencumbered funds. For families choosing to stay in this rural setting, the school offers a small, tight-knit environment and a district committed to maintaining and upgrading its facilities without raising the tax load.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 358%

School 58% · District 58%

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 14 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 45%

▼ 7 pts below state median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 3 pts above state median

Science

Grade 477%

School 77% · district not reported

▼ 9 pts below state median

This schoolCINCINNATUS 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 3Lower-income47%Higher-income42%6 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income56%1 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income37%Higher-income92%55 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income38%12 pp gap