Clara H Carlson School, Elmont NY

Original Research by School Decision on Clara H Carlson School

Clara H. Carlson School sits on Belmont Boulevard in Elmont, a densely settled, ethnically diverse hamlet in Nassau County just east of the Queens border. It serves prekindergarten through sixth grade as part of the Elmont Union Free School District, one of the smaller K-6 elementary-only districts in the county. Because the district ends at sixth grade, there is no graduation rate for Carlson, and that gap reflects the structure of the district rather than missing data. Students who complete sixth grade here move on to the Sewanhaka Central High School District, attending Elmont Memorial High School for their secondary years.

The school draws a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, Black, and Asian, with white students making up a very small share. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which puts Carlson among the more economically mixed schools in its area. Data on English learner status and students with IEPs was not available in what was provided.

On the New York State Testing Program, which measures proficiency at levels 3 and 4, results across grades 3 through 6 are mixed and worth a close look. In the earlier tested grades, math proficiency runs solidly, with fourth graders performing especially well and third and fifth graders holding their own. ELA follows a similar shape, with third through fifth graders reaching proficiency at rates in the low-to-mid sixties. Both math and ELA results drop notably in sixth grade, to somewhere in the low-to-mid forties, which is a meaningful dip a parent would reasonably want to ask the school about. Fifth-grade science proficiency comes in under half of tested students. Pulling across all tested subjects and grades, Carlson's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint among Nassau County districts, based on the available comparison set of districts in Nassau County. Trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say whether performance has been moving up or down.

Participation rates in state testing are worth noting: they fall below what New York State typically considers full participation at several grade levels, which means the tested group may not fully represent all enrolled students. A parent tracking results over time should keep that in mind.

On the program side, several district-wide changes directly touch Carlson. Full-day prekindergarten has been in place since the 2022-23 school year, with two pre-K classes in each district school, replacing the prior part-day model. For families with young children this is a meaningful practical difference. The district has also adopted a structured-literacy phonics approach, using Wilson Fundations in kindergarten through second grade as its core reading curriculum and as an early intervention tool within a multi-tiered support framework. This science-of-reading shift is a district-wide pedagogical commitment that shapes how every early-grade student learns to read at Carlson. Voters also approved a capital bond funding air conditioning in all classrooms, cafeterias, gyms, libraries, and auditoriums, along with new HVAC and air filtration, secured entrances, and asbestos removal, a substantial infrastructure investment that is publicly reported as still being delivered across the district's buildings.

The surrounding community is in active transition. Elmont's identity has long been shaped by its ethnic diversity and the Belmont Park complex at its eastern edge. The Belmont Park redevelopment is the dominant local growth story: UBS Arena opened in 2021, a large outlet center opened in late 2024, and a major racetrack modernization is targeted to reopen in 2026 when the Belmont Stakes returns. These projects add retail, hospitality, and event-industry employment nearby. The hamlet itself is car-oriented, with commercial life strung along Hempstead Turnpike rather than concentrated in a walkable center, though a new LIRR station now provides rail access. Housing values in the local zip code are well above the New York State median and have continued to appreciate, placing the area in a competitive and expensive housing market by most regional measures.

Program offerings beyond what the district has publicly described were not available in the data provided.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 355%

School 55% · District 65% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 470%

School 70% · District 72% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 66% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 68% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 64% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 66% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 66% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 58% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Science

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 51% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 593%

School 93% · District 94% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolELMONT 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-income60%Higher-income60%0 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income68%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income59%Higher-income75%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income37%Higher-income46%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income55%Higher-income55%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income67%Higher-income78%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income60%Higher-income69%9 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income37%Higher-income51%14 pp gap