Barnum Woods School, East Meadow NY

Original Research by School Decision on Barnum Woods School

Barnum Woods School is an elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in East Meadow, a stable, middle-to-upper-income residential community in central Nassau County. The school sits in a post-World War II suburban setting characterized by single-family homes and busy commercial arterials, with Eisenhower Park, one of the region's largest civic anchors, nearby.

The school enrolls roughly eight hundred students with moderate economic diversity. A modest share qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is racially and ethnically mixed, with substantial Asian, white, and Hispanic representation, plus smaller populations of Black students and other groups.

**Academic Performance**

Barnum Woods students show strong proficiency in math across the tested grades. In third grade, math proficiency is notably high. By fourth grade it remains solid, and in fifth grade it sits at around nine in ten students. English language arts results are somewhat more variable. Third graders perform well, but fourth-grade ELA proficiency dips noticeably below math levels, recovering somewhat by fifth grade. Fifth-grade science proficiency is around four in five students. These results place the school in the top quartile among Nassau County districts on an overall proficiency index, positioning it as a stronger-performing elementary school in its county context.

A note on attendance: participation rates on state assessments range from roughly mid-sixties to mid-seventies percent across grades and subjects, which is moderate. Parents may want to understand whether lower participation reflects absences, opt-outs, or other factors.

**Community and Housing Context**

East Meadow is a built-out, long-established suburb where new population growth is minimal. The housing market is solidly upper-middle-income; median home values are substantial, reflecting the area's reputation for stable, family-oriented neighborhoods and school quality. Monthly rental costs for new apartments are also high. The market currently shows moderate inventory and lower pending sales relative to year ago, though prices remain firm and appreciation continues modestly. For families purchasing or renting here, housing cost is a significant commitment.

The East Meadow Union Free School District recently passed a major bond for capital improvements including security upgrades, athletic facility renovations, and new sensory playgrounds at elementary schools. This will increase property taxes over the repayment term, though existing debt expiration may offset some years' increases. This is a concrete consideration for prospective residents.

**Fit and Setting**

Barnum Woods is a neighborhood elementary school in a car-dependent suburban setting. It serves a community of established homeowners and families seeking quality schools and stable residential character rather than walkable urban amenities. The school's size and grade band make it a traditional, comprehensive K-5 environment. No information was available on special education or English learner services, so parents with students in those categories should inquire directly with the school. The school is not a charter or magnet; it is a regular public school drawing students from its attendance zone. Overall, Barnum Woods fits families prioritizing academic proficiency in math, a solid mixed-demographic peer group, and the suburban family lifestyle that East Meadow represents.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 398%

School 98% · District 90% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 490%

School 90% · District 86% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 592%

School 92% · District 90% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 390%

School 90% · District 83% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 75% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 586%

School 86% · District 87% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Science

Grade 579%

School 79% · District 77% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 599%

School 99% · district not reported

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

This schoolEAST MEADOW 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-income92%Higher-income89%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income61%Higher-income79%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income74%Higher-income89%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income100%Higher-income97%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income83%Higher-income91%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income81%Higher-income94%13 pp gap