Lakeland-copper Beech Middle School, Yorktown Heights NY

Original Research by School Decision on Lakeland-copper Beech Middle School

Lakeland-Copper Beech Middle School sits on Old Yorktown Road in Yorktown Heights, a low-density suburban hamlet in northern Westchester County that grew up around a nineteenth-century railroad station. IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center is the dominant private employer nearby, and the surrounding residential character is mostly single-family homes on spacious lots. The hamlet is car-oriented, though Bee-Line bus service operates and Metro-North stations are accessible for commuters. A state downtown revitalization grant is currently funding streetscaping and pedestrian improvements, and a mixed-use redevelopment of the historic Underhill estate is reshaping the hamlet's center. Parks are a real asset: Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park, Junior Lake Park, and Railroad Park are all within the community, and the North County Trailway runs directly from the hamlet center.

The school serves grades six through eight in the Lakeland Central School District, one of three separate districts operating within the Town of Yorktown. Its enrollment is large for a middle school, drawing students across those three grade levels. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is majority white, with Hispanic students making up a substantial portion of enrollment and smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on English learner and special education rates were not available in what we reviewed.

On state assessments administered by New York, results for sixth graders in math and ELA land below the midpoint, with roughly four in ten students reaching proficiency in each subject at that grade. Seventh grade results climb noticeably, with roughly six in ten students meeting proficiency in both math and ELA. Eighth grade math proficiency is similar to seventh grade, while eighth grade ELA falls back somewhat. Science proficiency for eighth graders lands at around four in ten. These patterns place the school's overall proficiency index in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Westchester County, which is a competitive peer group. The gap between sixth grade results and seventh and eighth grade results is a pattern a parent may want to ask the school about directly, whether it reflects the student population's entry readiness, instructional supports, or course pathways.

Participation rates in state testing are also below typical levels, particularly for eighth grade math and science. Lower participation rates can affect how proficiency figures are interpreted, since students who opt out are not counted among those tested. This is worth understanding in conversation with the school.

The sixth grade figures show zero tested students in grade five subjects, which is explained by the school's grade band: it serves only sixth through eighth grade, so fifth grade assessments are not given here. The social studies result in the data dates from well over a decade ago and should not be read as current.

On the district side, Lakeland Central recently completed a voter-approved capital project that has delivered new STEAM labs and renovated library and media centers at its secondary buildings, including infrastructure, lighting, HVAC, and solar upgrades. Those improvements are in use. For the coming school year, the district adopted a budget with a tax levy increase at the full ceiling allowed under New York's state cap, up from a lower increase the prior year. Families tracking property taxes in this district should treat that as a signal about the near-term trajectory.

The Yorktown Heights housing market is priced well above both state and national medians, with typical home values reflecting the broader Westchester premium. Inventory in the county has tightened over the past year, and homes have been moving in roughly a month. The area's affordability profile is demanding relative to national benchmarks.

No program offerings, course access data, staffing ratios, attendance figures, or chronic absenteeism data were available for Lakeland-Copper Beech Middle School in what we reviewed. Families wanting a fuller picture of electives, supports for struggling learners, or extracurricular offerings would need to request those details from the school directly.

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Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

2 courses 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	136	99.0%
Math	111	100.0%

Math

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 67% · ▼ 67 pts below district

▼ 51 pts below state median · ▼ 59 pts below county median

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 43%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 61%

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

Grade 865%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 71% · ▼ 71 pts below district

▼ 54 pts below state median · ▼ 65 pts below county median

Grade 645%

School 45% · District 45%

even with state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 60%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 5 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 53% · ▼ 53 pts below district

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

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 41%

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

Social studies

Grade 888%

School 88% · district not reported

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

This schoolLAKELAND 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-income22%Higher-income56%34 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income44%Higher-income68%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income36%Higher-income62%26 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income51%21 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income42%Higher-income70%27 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income52%Higher-income72%20 pp gap