William T Rogers Middle School, Kings Park NY

Original Research by School Decision on William T Rogers Middle School

William T. Rogers Middle School serves grades six through eight in Kings Park, a suburban hamlet on Long Island's North Shore with a compact downtown anchored by the LIRR station and tree-lined residential streets beyond. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with a smaller share of Hispanic, Asian, and other students. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school operates within the Kings Park Central School District, which has experienced a sustained decline in middle-school enrollment over the past decade. The district recently reduced middle-school staffing for the current year, including the excessing of four teachers, a shift that reflects shrinking student numbers and will likely affect future class sizes and program structure.

State test results from the most recent year show a mixed picture across the school's grades. In sixth grade, students posted proficiency rates just above half in both math and English language arts, with roughly similar results in seventh grade math and slightly higher proficiency in seventh grade ELA. Eighth grade showed lower participation in testing but proficiency rates in the range of half to six in ten across math, ELA and science. The seventh grade performed most strongly, with proficiency around seven in ten in both subjects. Across the school, proficiency rates are above the median among districts in Suffolk County, placing the school in the top quartile regionally on this measure. Teachers often report higher proficiency in younger grades than in the oldest grade band, a pattern visible here as well.

The school's testing participation rates are notably low. In sixth grade, just over half of students participated in the math assessment and about six in ten in ELA. By eighth grade, only about one in five students participated in math and science, with one in three in ELA. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, as such low participation can reflect scheduling decisions, opt-outs, or alternative placements that affect how results should be interpreted.

Kings Park itself is in transition. The hamlet has long been known for residential stability, with families staying for decades in single and two-family homes. However, the community recently won a state Downtown Revitalization Initiative award and construction began in spring 2025 on mixed-use housing, streetscape improvements, and commercial activation around the LIRR station and Main Street. Planning calls for accessory apartments and new commercial-residential buildings over the next several years. Housing values in the zip code area are substantial and have appreciated modestly year over year. This growth context matters for families because it signals both demographic change and ongoing property-tax funding pressures typical of a district where local taxes drive school operations. The district's 2025-26 budget increased with a tax levy rise that remains within state limits but reflects inflation, insurance, and salary growth as persistent drivers.

The school's academic pathway in the early grades appears stable, with six and seven graders showing reasonable proficiency. The eighth-grade data warrants closer attention due to low testing participation, making it harder to assess true proficiency trends. A parent should ask the school directly about that participation, about any alternative assessment or programming for eighth graders, and about how the recent staffing reductions may shape class sizes and elective offerings going forward. The school operates as a traditional neighborhood middle school rather than a specialized or magnet program, so families should expect a conventional six-through-eight model within a district managing significant enrollment headwinds.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

1 course reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Science	84	100.0%

Math

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 52%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 771%

School 71% · District 70% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 860%

School 60% · District 59% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 57% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 773%

School 73% · District 72% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 58%

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

Science

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 50% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 895%

School 95% · district not reported

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

This schoolKINGS PARK 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 6Lower-income44%Higher-income60%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income43%Higher-income77%34 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income43%Higher-income62%19 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income47%Higher-income52%5 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income44%Higher-income75%30 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income83%Higher-income50%33 pp gap