Herkimer Elementary School, Herkimer NY

Original Research by School Decision on Herkimer Elementary School

Herkimer Elementary School is a public K-5 school in the village of Herkimer, a small county-seat town in the Mohawk Valley. The school enrolls a student body that is mostly white, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic context of the surrounding village. The school sits within Herkimer Central School District, which has pursued steady, low-tax-rate management and, as of early 2024, a capital improvement project funded without additional tax burden to residents.

The elementary school's academic performance on state testing shows a consistent pattern across grades 3 through 5. In math, proficiency rates range from the mid-20s to the mid-40s, with fourth grade performing strongest. English language arts shows similar trajectories, with rates clustered in the upper 20s to low 40s. Science proficiency at grade 5 is in the low 40s. On the most recent state assessments, the school's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint when compared to other elementary schools in Herkimer County, though absolute proficiency levels remain below the state's target thresholds. A parent may want to discuss with the school what reading and math intervention or support structures are in place, and how the school identifies and works with students who are not yet proficient. State testing data for science and other subjects in lower grades is not available because those grades are not tested under state requirements.

The school's enrollment is stable at just over five hundred students across seven grade bands, from prekindergarten through fifth grade. About three in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school building itself is undergoing physical improvements: voters approved a capital project in January 2024 that includes roof replacement and HVAC upgrades at the elementary school, funded through state building aid and district reserves with no new tax burden to families. Construction is scheduled through September 2026, which means current students will see the work unfold during their time there.

Herkimer itself is a mixed-income village centered on a historic Main Street that is the subject of active downtown revitalization. The local economy leans on health care, education, and retail employment. Housing values in the zip code are relatively modest, and affordability is reasonable by national standards, though the village center carries a higher-than-typical vacancy rate. The district has held property tax increases well below the state cap for most of the past dozen years, a pattern that tends to matter to families weighing relocation.

The school feeds into Herkimer Junior-Senior High School as students move on. The district has limited program information in the data, so a family might ask directly about special offerings or enrichment at the elementary level. Special education enrollment and English learner enrollment counts are not reported, making it difficult to assess the breadth of support services from the available data.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 32% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 44% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 27% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 40% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 1 pts below state median · even with county median

Social studies

Grade 592%

School 92% · district not reported

even with state median

This schoolHERKIMER 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 3Lower-income17%Higher-income48%31 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income62%30 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income56%34 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income76%45 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income21%Higher-income55%34 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income67%31 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income20%Higher-income39%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income47%Higher-income76%29 pp gap