Fredonia Middle School, Fredonia NY

Original Research by School Decision on Fredonia Middle School

Fredonia Middle School serves grades five through eight in a small, college-town setting in rural Chautauqua County. The school sits on Main Street in the village of Fredonia, near downtown and Barker Common, rather than isolated on a distant campus. Enrollment is modest, with students distributed fairly evenly across the four grade bands. Just over a third of the school's population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly white with a meaningful population of Hispanic students and smaller numbers of other backgrounds represented.

On state testing, the school's performance is mixed. Across math, English language arts, and science, proficiency rates vary by grade. In math, sixth grade stands out at a stronger proficiency level, while fifth and seventh grades show moderate results and eighth grade sits in the middle range. In ELA, results are more uneven: fifth and eighth grades show moderate proficiency, sixth grade shows similar performance to fifth, but seventh grade's proficiency is noticeably lower. Science results trend toward the lower end, with fifth grade at a moderate level and eighth grade substantially lower. Sixth and seventh grade science data were not reported, suggesting those grades may not have been tested or the school does not break out those results separately. All of these numbers are based on spring 2024-25 assessments, and the school's overall proficiency index, averaging across tested grades and subjects, falls in the top quartile among districts in Chautauqua County. A parent may want to look more closely with the school into what explains the steeper drop in seventh-grade ELA performance and eighth-grade science to understand whether those reflect curriculum sequencing, cohort characteristics, or other factors.

Participation rates on the assessments show a concerning pattern: fifth grade participation is strong, but it declines sharply by sixth and seventh grade and falls to about half of eighth graders in both math and science. This may indicate either scheduling conflicts, opt-outs, or a shift in how the school administers these tests in the upper grades. It is worth asking the school directly about the reason for this trend, as understanding it can signal whether all students are being consistently assessed.

The school's parent community should be aware of district-level budget turbulence that will affect the broader school environment. Fredonia Central School District's fund balance has been declining while costs rise, forcing difficult choices. In the 2025-26 school year, voters initially rejected the budget proposal, leading to a re-vote with further cuts. The following year the district had to cut two teaching positions and eliminate K-8 summer school programming just to stay within the tax cap. In late 2024 voters did approve a "Warm, Safe, and Dry" capital improvement referendum, the district's first substantial maintenance project in many years, covering roofing, electrical, plumbing, and playground work. That project is now in construction and carries a tax increase. Families considering Fredonia should understand that the district is managing both aging facilities and tight finances, and this context shapes both what the school can offer and the tax environment around it.

The village of Fredonia itself is a compact, walkable college town anchored by SUNY Fredonia and organized around downtown Barker Common. Recent street and downtown improvements have made the core more pedestrian-friendly. Housing values reflect a rural and modestly sized market, with limited inventory. Population has been stable to slowly declining. Employment centers on the university, some agricultural-processing businesses, and service sector work. Civic life is rooted in downtown, parks, and community events, and the school sits well-positioned within that walkable core rather than isolated from community life.

For a family with students in fifth through eighth grade who value a small, integrated school in a college-town setting with a connected community, this is a realistic option. The academic profile suggests competence across the grade bands, with variation that invites deeper conversation with school staff. Families concerned about budget stability or intensive high-level academic acceleration should engage the district directly about financial trajectory and instructional programming before deciding.

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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	23	100.0%
Science	21	100.0%

Math

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 60%

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

Grade 672%

School 72% · District 72%

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

Grade 757%

School 57% · District 56% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 864%

School 64% · District 63% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 54%

even with state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 653%

School 53% · District 53%

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

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 56% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 45% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 879%

School 79% · district not reported

▲ 1 pts above state median

This schoolFREDONIA 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 5Lower-income40%Higher-income65%25 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income67%36 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income20%Higher-income52%32 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income37%Higher-income68%31 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income46%Higher-income69%24 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income50%Higher-income86%36 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income37%Higher-income69%32 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income42%Higher-income81%40 pp gap