David Paterson School, Hempstead NY

Original Research by School Decision on David Paterson School

David Paterson School is a kindergarten through sixth-grade elementary school in Hempstead, serving a school population that is predominantly Hispanic and Black, with a substantial majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school sits in the geographic center of Nassau County at a moment when the village of Hempstead itself is undergoing major downtown redevelopment, with new housing and mixed-use construction anchored by the LIRR station and transit hub.

The school's academic performance, measured on New York State tests, is a significant consideration for families. In math, proficiency rates across the tested grades (3 through 6) cluster in the low range, with fourth grade notably the lowest point. In English language arts, proficiency rates are similarly modest across all grade bands. Science proficiency in fifth grade sits at a comparable level. These results place the school in the bottom quartile relative to other districts across Nassau County by overall proficiency index. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about how it is supporting students who are not yet meeting state standards, what intervention structures exist, and what the trajectory of proficiency has been over time, since the data provided does not show multi-year trends.

The school is part of the Hempstead Union Free School District, which is now an authorized International Baccalaureate district offering both the Primary Years Programme for grades K-6 and the Middle Years Programme. This represents a district-wide pedagogical reorientation toward inquiry-based, globally minded learning that shapes how instruction is delivered. The district is also executing a capital bond program that includes new windows at David Paterson School, part of lasting facilities improvements across the system. At the same time, the district operates under ongoing New York State oversight through a state monitor, a reflection of longstanding governance and performance challenges that bear on the stability and accountability environment in which the school operates.

The Hempstead housing market is mid-priced for Long Island, with median home values moderate but rising modestly year over year. Rental availability is tight. The community itself is ethnically diverse, with strong civic anchors including the downtown library, cultural institutions, and dense transit access via the LIRR and intermodal bus center. Employment is anchored by Hofstra University and local medical and government sectors.

David Paterson enrolls students across a small to moderate size band for an elementary school, with roughly balanced enrollment in most grades. The school's peer environment reflects the neighborhood: students are drawn from a community with significant economic need and linguistic diversity, a context that shapes both the resources and challenges any school in this setting would navigate. The IB framework now in place offers a coherent pedagogical model, though families will want to understand how that translates to classroom practice and student outcomes at this particular site, especially given current proficiency data.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 40% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 36% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 44 pts below state median · ▼ 64 pts below county median

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 36% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 48 pts below county median

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 36% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 47 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 33% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 39 pts below county median

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 36% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 51 pts below county median

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 42% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 43 pts below county median

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 34% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 31% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 594%

School 94% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolHEMPSTEAD 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 4Lower-income14%Higher-income33%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income16%Higher-income25%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income14%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income15%Higher-income10%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income24%Higher-income25%2 pp gap