Bretton Woods Elementary School, Hauppauge NY

Original Research by School Decision on Bretton Woods Elementary School

Bretton Woods Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Hauppauge, a suburban hamlet on Long Island with a mixed character. The school sits within a traditional residential neighborhood while the broader area functions both as suburban housing stock and a major employment hub anchored by an industrial park and county government facilities.

The school's academic performance shows a pattern of solid proficiency across math and English language arts, with results varying by grade. In English language arts, fifth graders perform strongest, while fourth grade shows the highest ELA proficiency overall. Math results run somewhat lower in fourth grade than in third and fifth. The school's science proficiency in fifth grade, the only grade tested, sits at around the middle of the performance range. Testing participation rates are modest, ranging from around forty to fifty percent across grades and subjects; a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand the reasons and implications. When set against other districts in Suffolk County, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, meaning it outperforms the median district in the county on the measures reported.

The school serves about five hundred students distributed fairly evenly across its grade band, with the highest concentration in fourth grade. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is majority white, with substantial representation of Hispanic, Asian, Black, and multiracial students. Specific counts for students receiving special education services or English learner support are not available in the reported data.

Hauppauge itself is auto-oriented and car-dependent, built out as suburban single-family homes and apartment complexes on tree-lined streets rather than around a walkable center. Daily life is anchored by the public library along Route 111, nearby Blydenburgh County Park with trails and fishing, and the Rinx recreation center. There is no direct rail connection; bus service runs through Suffolk County Transit. The community sits within a tight housing market typical of Long Island, where demand for homes in established school districts consistently exceeds supply. Home values and rents have moved upward modestly in recent years. A capital bond approved by district voters in December 2023 will add to school property taxes, funding science labs, athletic facilities, and building renovations at the district's high school and middle school; families moving into the district should factor this into their tax calculations. The district offers state-funded full-day pre-kindergarten for eligible four-year-olds, allocated by lottery, which is relevant for families with younger children.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 66% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 67% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 80% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 368%

School 68% · District 59% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 72% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 581%

School 81% · District 80%

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Science

Grade 570%

School 70% · District 61% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 597%

School 97% · district not reported

▲ 5 pts above state median · even with 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-income44%Higher-income76%32 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income64%Higher-income83%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income64%Higher-income87%23 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income83%38 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income46%Higher-income67%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income62%Higher-income78%17 pp gap