Forest Brook Elementary School, Smithtown NY

Original Research by School Decision on Forest Brook Elementary School

Forest Brook Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Smithtown, a residential suburb on Long Island's North Shore within the Hauppauge Union Free School District. The school enrolls a mix of students reflecting Smithtown's suburban character: most are white, with sizable Hispanic and Asian populations and smaller Black and multiracial groups. About one in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a moderately mixed economic community.

State test results show uneven performance. In mathematics, third and fourth graders scored at roughly the midpoint of proficiency, while fifth graders performed notably better, with most meeting the standard. English language arts shows a similar pattern: third grade lags substantially, fourth and fifth grades improve, with fourth grade the strongest. Fifth-grade science results fall below the mathematics midpoint. The school does not currently serve sixth grade at this location, which explains why no results appear for that grade level. A parent looking at these numbers would see a school where performance picks up in the upper elementary grades but where third and fourth grade instruction warrants close attention.

The enrollment is stable and proportionally distributed across grades. With about three-quarters of students not eligible for free or reduced lunch, the school reflects a largely suburban, middle-class peer environment, though economic diversity is present.

Smithtown itself is in transition. It was built as a single-family suburban bedroom community but is now pursuing downtown revitalization and mixed-use, transit-oriented development around the Long Island Rail Road stations in Smithtown, St. James, and Kings Park. The town received state funding in 2025 for walkability and housing diversity projects. The housing market remains robust, with home values well above state and national benchmarks, though interest rates and the broader market inventory affect affordability. Median monthly housing costs run nearly twice rental rates, making purchase a significant investment. If your family is relocating, understand that Smithtown is a solidly built-out suburb with limited new residential construction, though new apartment communities are opening to attract younger and smaller households.

The district recently passed a capital bond to upgrade facilities across schools, adding to property taxes. It also offers state-funded full-day Universal Pre-Kindergarten for eligible four-year-olds, which matters if you have younger children. Forest Brook is a neighborhood elementary school without specialized programming or magnet status, so the school's value rests on its regular instruction, staff, and community fit rather than unique academic pathways. The third-grade dip in test results invites a conversation with the school about instructional focus at that grade and what support looks like for students entering upper elementary.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 66%

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

Grade 465%

School 65% · District 67% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 582%

School 82% · District 80% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 55% · ▼ 55 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 46 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 59% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 473%

School 73% · District 72% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 571%

School 71% · District 80% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 52% · ▼ 52 pts below district

▼ 46 pts below state median · ▼ 45 pts below county median

Science

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 61% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 599%

School 99% · district not reported

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

This schoolHAUPPAUGE 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-income33%Higher-income50%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income80%30 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income56%Higher-income79%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income29%Higher-income79%50 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income78%Higher-income83%6 pp gap