East Moriches School, East Moriches NY

Original Research by School Decision on East Moriches School

East Moriches School serves grades five through eight in a small, coastal hamlet on Long Island's south shore. The school is part of the East Moriches Union Free School District, a K-8 system where high school students move on to neighboring districts—currently Center Moriches, Eastport-South Manor, or Westhampton Beach.

The community itself is quiet and water-oriented, a mix of year-round and seasonal living shaped by proximity to Moriches Bay, boating, and fishing. Housing stock ranges from early-20th-century Colonials and capes to contemporary builds, with the median home price reflecting a high-cost, appreciating market typical of coastal Long Island. The hamlet sits along Montauk Highway, the main east-west corridor, with a small commercial stretch of old-fashioned storefronts and waterfront dining. Walkability is limited and car-oriented; daily movement is organized around the highway and County Road 80. Residents work in small local businesses—professional services, construction, marine trades, and food retail—rather than around a single dominant employer.

The school itself sits on Adelaide Avenue near the elementary school, both within or along the hamlet's main spine rather than isolated on a suburban campus. It is a regular public school of moderate size for its grade band, with enrollment spread roughly evenly across grades five through eight.

On state testing, East Moriches School shows a mixed profile across subjects and grades. In English language arts, fifth grade posts solid results, above the midpoint statewide; by eighth grade, proficiency drops notably. Math is stronger overall, with sixth grade standing out at a level well above the state median. Fifth and seventh grade math are respectable but lower. Science proficiency in fifth grade is modest and below the midpoint; eighth grade science proficiency was very low, though the eighth grade test participation rate was minimal, making that result difficult to interpret in isolation. A parent may want to ask the school directly about the small grade-eight testing populations and what is driving participation patterns there. The school's overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint among Suffolk County's districts.

The data available does not include graduation rates or high school placement outcomes, since the school serves only grades five through eight. Chronic absenteeism data, staffing detail, attendance patterns, and programs beyond one career-technical pathway in business are not available in the records reviewed.

Recent district investments bear noting. A 2022 referendum funded facility improvements including air conditioning in all middle school classrooms, a renovated cafeteria and kitchen, an upgraded playground, and a security vestibule at the elementary school completed in early 2024. A second capital project proposed for spring 2026 would address middle school infrastructure—asbestos removal, ceiling and lighting replacement, and bathroom renovations—funded entirely from reserve funds with no new tax levy requested. The district's 2024-25 operating budget included a modest tax levy increase while staying within the state cap.

For families considering this school, the core question is the academic readiness trajectory across grades. The school shows real strength in some grades and subjects, particularly sixth grade math, but also shows softer performance and notably lower participation rates by eighth grade in both math and science. For a middle-grade student entering the school, understanding what supports are available for the transition from elementary and what the school's approach is to upper-grade engagement and testing participation would be worth exploring with school staff. The hamlet itself offers a settled, coastal residential setting with small-town infrastructure and no large secondary school campus; high school involves a shift to a neighboring district.

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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	60	100.0%
Science	54	93.0%

Math

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 686%

School 86% · District 86%

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

Grade 766%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 75%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 669%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 763%

School 63% · District 63%

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

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 56%

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

Science

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 0%

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

Social studies

Grade 597%

School 97% · District 97%

▲ 6 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 890%

School 90% · District 90%

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

This schoolEAST 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 5Lower-income73%Higher-income76%3 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income70%Higher-income69%1 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income72%39 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income58%8 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income70%Higher-income61%9 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income90%Higher-income85%5 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income63%Higher-income67%4 pp gap