William Appleby Elementary School, Marathon NY

Original Research by School Decision on William Appleby Elementary School

William Appleby Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Marathon, a rural community in Cortland County. The school has a small enrollment of roughly four hundred students across eight grade levels. About half the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, and the enrollment is predominantly white, with very few students of other racial or ethnic backgrounds. State data on special education or English learner enrollment was not available for this school.

The most recent state testing results show a pattern worth understanding. Students in grades three through five are performing well below proficiency across both English language arts and mathematics, with only a modest share meeting state standards in either subject. In grade six, the picture shifts markedly: proficiency rates rise to roughly seventy percent in math and just under eighty percent in English language arts. Grade five science proficiency also remained low. This grade-level variation is significant enough that a parent may want to look into further with the school what changes in instruction or support occur by the time students reach sixth grade, and whether that momentum carries forward when students move to secondary.

When compared against other districts in Cortland County, William Appleby's overall proficiency index across tested grades and subjects sits above the midpoint of the county group, a modest positioning that reflects uneven performance across the grades. Graduation rate data does not apply at an elementary school level.

The Marathon Central School District, which operates this school, has faced real budget pressures. For the 2026-27 school year, the district navigated a substantial gap that prompted proposed cuts to sports and student programs and staffing reductions, though the cross-country team continued after community fundraising. The district adopted a tax levy increase at the state-allowed maximum, marking its largest increase in several years. On the positive side, voters approved a capital project focused on facility improvements without additional tax burden, and the district now provides breakfast and lunch at no cost to all students through New York's universal meals program.

Housing in the Marathon zip code sits below both state and national medians, and affordability metrics suggest the area remains accessible for families seeking to buy or rent. The local employment rate is stable, though specifics on major employers or growth patterns in the town were not readily available.

William Appleby is a traditional public elementary school with no specialized programs documented. The wide proficiency gap between lower and upper grades suggests that families should consider asking the school directly about intervention strategies in the younger grades and what instructional methods or supports account for the stronger sixth-grade results. For families choosing a rural, small-town elementary setting with modest costs, this school serves that profile; understanding the grade-level performance variation is essential for setting realistic expectations about the academic pathway ahead.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 28 pts below state median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 26 pts below state median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 30% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 20 pts below state median

Grade 671%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 26 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 11 pts below state median

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 48%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 28% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 26 pts below state median

Grade 678%

School 78% · District 78%

▲ 33 pts above state median

Science

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 30% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 584%

School 84% · district not reported

▼ 8 pts below state median

This schoolMARATHON 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-income24%Higher-income58%34 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income60%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income28%1 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income65%Higher-income90%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income16%Higher-income44%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income38%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income33%4 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income35%Higher-income96%61 pp gap