The top reported proficiency rate is 100% in Science. The lowest is 77% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Greenwood Lake Elementary School
Greenwood Lake Elementary School serves prekindergarten through third grade in a small, stable residential village about an hour from New York City. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, located on Waterstone Road just outside the village center in a town anchored by a lakeside setting and a notable community of artists and remote workers.
The school's enrollment is small, around a couple of hundred students, distributed fairly evenly across the early grades. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic minority and very few Asian students or students of color; specific numbers for English learners or students with Individualized Education Programs were not available in the district's public data.
In third-grade math on the New York State Testing Program in 2024-25, students posted a strong proficiency rate well above the state median, with a clear majority demonstrating skills at or above grade level. English language arts proficiency in third grade ran somewhat lower, though still solidly above the midpoint for schools statewide. The school's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile when compared to other districts in Orange County, reflecting consistently high performance in the grades and subjects tested.
The last available science testing data is from 2009-10, when the cohort achieved a perfect proficiency rate, though that result is old enough that current performance may differ. State testing does not occur in pre-K, kindergarten, or first and second grades, so the school's performance data reflect only third grade and an older science snapshot.
The school sits within the Greenwood Lake Union Free School District, which is navigating two immediate pressures. Voters rejected the district's proposed budget in May 2026, forcing a revised proposal and a new vote in June. A budget failure can trigger a contingency spending plan with no tax increase, often leading to program cuts or delayed investments. The district has also adopted a new cell-phone policy under New York's Distraction-Free Schools Law, banning student access to personal internet-enabled devices during the school day—a shift in classroom culture that families with younger children may view differently.
The village itself is essentially built out, with modest population decline over recent decades but rising home values. Housing prices have climbed, and rental affordability has tightened. The community mixes year-round residents with weekenders and second-home owners, connected to New York City by a commuter bus route and car. The school community and civic life gather around Waterstone Road and the lakefront, though the village center retail strip along Windermere Avenue is walkable and mixed-use.
For families considering this school, the key questions are the strength of early literacy and math instruction at the elementary level, the effect of the district's current budget uncertainty on program continuity, and the fit of a small village school serving a largely white, middle-to-upper-income population with a significant second-home contingent.
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