Mount Vernon Honor Academy, Mount Vernon NY

Original Research by School Decision on Mount Vernon Honor Academy

Mount Vernon Honor Academy is a public elementary and middle school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in the densely residential Mount Vernon, a dense inner-ring suburb directly north of the Bronx with a strong Afro-Caribbean and Latino character. The school enrolls a small student body with substantial economic need: roughly half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the enrollment is predominantly Black with a meaningful Latino population and very few white or Asian students.

The school's academic performance shows a mixed and uneven profile across grades and subjects. In the lower elementary grades, proficiency rates are moderate to strong. Third grade math sits at just above half proficient; fourth grade jumps sharply higher in both math and English language arts, with solid performance in the high range. By fifth grade proficiency rates remain in the mid-to-upper range in both subjects. Starting in sixth grade, however, there is a steep and sustained decline. Sixth grade math proficiency drops below half, and seventh grade falls further still. Eighth grade math proficiency becomes a particular concern, with only a small share of students meeting the state standard. Eighth grade English language arts recovers somewhat and remains in the upper range, suggesting a significant difference between how students are performing in literacy versus mathematics at the secondary level. Science proficiency data are available for fifth and eighth grade only; fifth grade shows roughly half of students proficient while eighth grade science proficiency is considerably lower. Overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades places the school below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Westchester County.

The sharp decline in mathematics proficiency in grades six through eight deserves parent attention. A parent considering this school may want to ask the school directly what supports are in place for middle grades math, whether there has been a change in staffing or approach, and what interventions exist for students struggling with the transition to more abstract mathematics.

The school is facing closure. In January 2025 the Mount Vernon Board of Education approved a reorganization closing Mount Vernon Honor Academy along with two other schools, consolidating operations into four K-8 neighborhood locations. Students currently enrolled are being relocated to nearby buildings. This makes the school's continued operation uncertain and affects continuity for families. Parents should verify the district's timeline and where their child would transfer.

Mount Vernon itself is highly walkable with strong transit access via three Metro-North stations within the city, situating families just under a half hour by express rail to Midtown Manhattan. The city is in the midst of substantial housing development, though the district's downtown vision report noted a high rate of rent-burdened residents and the exodus of younger adults due to lack of affordable housing, reflecting broader affordability pressure across Westchester County. Housing values in the broader area have appreciated modestly in recent years.

The district as a whole faces significant fiscal strain, having been labeled in fiscal stress by the New York State Comptroller for six consecutive years. In May 2026 voters rejected the proposed school budget, the first defeat in recent years, raising the prospect of program cuts and delayed repairs. This context affects the entire district and shapes resource availability across all schools within it, including support for students and maintenance of school facilities.

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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
Math	14	86.0%
Science	14	86.0%

Math

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 42% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 47% · ▲ 33 pts above district

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

Grade 567%

School 67% · District 39% · ▲ 28 pts above district

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

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 41% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 742%

School 42% · District 41% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 27% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 41% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 479%

School 79% · District 47% · ▲ 32 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 568%

School 68% · District 43% · ▲ 25 pts above district

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

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 39% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 748%

School 48% · District 45% · ▲ 3 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 879%

School 79% · District 53% · ▲ 25 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 33% · ▲ 21 pts above district

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

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 32% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 598%

School 98% · district not reported

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

This schoolMOUNT VERNON 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-income48%Higher-income39%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income77%Higher-income82%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income85%35 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income25%Higher-income62%37 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income43%Higher-income57%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income83%Higher-income70%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income56%Higher-income46%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income69%Higher-income92%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income54%Higher-income79%25 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income56%25 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income71%46 pp gap