Gouverneur Middle School, Gouverneur NY

Original Research by School Decision on Gouverneur Middle School

Gouverneur Middle School serves grades five through eight in a small North Country village, educating students in a rural setting with close ties to the local economy and community institutions. The school sits on village streets rather than a remote campus, placed near the downtown that orbits the Oswegatchie River.

Academically, the school's state test results show mixed performance across grade levels and subjects. Fifth grade offers the school's strongest showing, with about half of students meeting proficiency in English language arts and science, and somewhat below that mark in math. Sixth grade math stands out as the highest proficiency across any subject and grade, approaching a majority. By seventh and eighth grade, proficiency rates dip considerably. In eighth grade math and English language arts, roughly a quarter to a third of students meet the proficiency mark, among the lowest results at the school. Participation rates are notably lower in eighth grade science and math compared to other grades, which a parent may want to look into further with the school.

Overall, the school's proficiency rate across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile among the county's school districts. This pattern, where younger students perform better than older ones and performance declines as students progress through middle school, is a characteristic worth understanding as a family considers fit.

The enrollment is roughly stable across the four grades, with slightly smaller fifth grade and slightly larger eighth grade cohorts. About three-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the surrounding community. The student body is predominantly white, with very small numbers of students of color. Data on special education and English learner enrollment was not available, so a parent curious about those services would want to ask the school directly.

Gouverneur itself is a village in transition. Mining once drove its economy, but it now depends on education, health care, retail, and light manufacturing. The housing market shows modest affordability, with home values and rents substantially lower than state and national benchmarks. The village has recently received state downtown revitalization funding, which could affect future housing and economic activity. School facilities are undergoing major renovation through the end of 2026 under a capital project approved by voters, addressing all three district buildings. The district also now offers full-day universal pre-kindergarten, a free program for families with younger children.

A parent considering this school would be weighing a standard public middle school in a small, economically modest village with declining enrollment and moderate academic proficiency, offset by upcoming facility improvements and state-backed community development efforts. The localized character and modest cost of living are real features; the test results are an area to discuss openly with the school when considering enrollment.

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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	22	100.0%
Science	20	95.0%

Math

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 39%

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

Grade 655%

School 55% · District 55%

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

Grade 743%

School 43% · District 42% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 28%

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 54%

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

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 34% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Science

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 45%

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

This schoolGOUVERNEUR 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-income33%Higher-income81%48 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income44%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income27%Higher-income48%21 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income24%Higher-income44%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income62%40 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income66%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income34%Higher-income57%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income26%Higher-income33%8 pp gap