Center Street School, Horseheads NY

Original Research by School Decision on Center Street School

Center Street School serves the youngest students in the Horseheads Central School District, enrolling children from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. The school sits in Horseheads, a small village in Chemung County's Southern Tier, centered on a historic downtown with well-preserved architecture and a quieter residential character. The broader area is experiencing substantial economic change: a major high-speed rail manufacturing facility is under construction nearby, and new housing subdivisions and apartment communities are actively opening, signaling a district in transition and likely growth ahead.

The school's recent state assessment data shows proficiency in math and English language arts that sits above the midpoint among Chemung County districts. In third grade, proficiency rates ran solidly into the upper half, and fourth-grade results, while lower, still positioned the school at the county's top quartile when compared across all tested grades and subjects. Science results from the most recent available year were notably stronger. Student participation in state testing was nearly complete, with most grades showing participation rates near or at full compliance.

About half the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting a moderate-income demographic. The enrollment is predominantly white, with smaller populations of Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. The school is small to mid-sized for its grade band, drawing about a bit over three hundred students across its grades. Special education and English learner enrollment counts were not available in the data provided.

The community surrounding the school is moderately affordable by recent national standards. Housing values in the area have grown modestly year-over-year, and the housing-to-income ratio sits below the state benchmark, suggesting homes here are comparatively accessible to local wage earners. Renters face somewhat tighter affordability, with rent-to-income levels moderate but notably higher than the mortgage burden. The area is car-dependent; most residents commute by personal vehicle, though the historic downtown core has modest walkability for daily errands.

The district itself is navigating sustained fiscal pressure. Voters recently approved a major capital referendum for building and technology upgrades through a phased tax increase over several years. More recently, the district struggled with consecutive budget votes in the spring of 2025, with the initial proposed budget defeated before a revised, lower-cost plan passed. This reflects ongoing tension between maintaining current staffing and keeping tax increases within community tolerance. Parents may want to look into how the district's program and staffing levels have been affected by these budget cycles.

State testing data exists only for the grades this school serves; no high school outcomes or graduation data apply here. Center Street's position in the county's top quartile for overall proficiency reflects solid foundational performance in the elementary grades, though fourth-grade results suggest areas where families and teachers may be addressing learning gaps as students move deeper into the curriculum.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 68% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 57% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 361%

School 61% · District 58% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 53% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Science

Grade 479%

School 79% · district not reported

▼ 6 pts below state median

This schoolHORSEHEADS 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-income55%Higher-income72%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income29%Higher-income68%39 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income58%Higher-income78%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income73%37 pp gap