Anne M Dorner Middle School, Ossining NY

Original Research by School Decision on Anne M Dorner Middle School

Anne M Dorner Middle School serves grades 6 through 8 in Ossining, a mixed-use Hudson River village about an hour north of New York City. The school enrolls roughly one thousand students, with a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, alongside Black, white, and Asian students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the school's role in a community with working-class and immigrant families.

The school's recent state test results show modest proficiency across core subjects. In mathematics, the sixth-grade cohort achieved proficiency at around the lowest quarter of Westchester County districts. Seventh-grade math performance climbed to just above the midpoint, while eighth-grade slipped back down. In English language arts, results were lower still, with sixth and seventh graders each around one-third proficient and eighth graders somewhat higher at around two-fifths proficient. When an overall proficiency average is calculated across tested subjects and grades, the school falls into the bottom quartile of county districts. Test participation rates were strong, suggesting these numbers reflect actual performance rather than testing gaps. Science testing was limited to eighth grade and involved a small tested sample, so that data carries less weight.

The school sits within the Ossining Union Free School District, which has undertaken substantial recent change. In September 2024, voters approved a major facilities bond to address widespread overcrowding across the district's schools. That bond will fund a new dedicated building for seventh and eighth graders, meaning Dorner will transition to housing grades 5 and 6 only. The shift is expected to ease crowding at the middle grades and allow the high school and elementary schools to expand as well. Construction and transition timelines were not provided in available data, so families may want to check with the district directly on when these changes take effect.

Ossining itself is experiencing a period of revitalization and housing growth. The village downtown has walkable retail and restaurants along Main Street, access to the Hudson River waterfront and parks, and Metro-North rail service. New mixed-use housing development, including a recent groundbreaking on an affordable housing project with roughly one hundred apartments, is bringing families and younger residents to the area. Housing values in the zip code are moderate to mid-range for Westchester County, and rents are similarly positioned, making Ossining more affordable than many neighboring communities. The village's workforce includes many commuters to New York City, though local employers like the school district, healthcare providers, and manufacturers also anchor employment.

For a parent evaluating Dorner, the academic picture warrants careful attention. Proficiency rates across subjects and grades consistently ran well below county median performance. This matters most if you are looking for a school where the majority of students are meeting grade-level benchmarks on state assessments. At the same time, the district's commitment to facility investment and the planned transformation of Dorner's grade configuration suggest leadership is responsive to school conditions. The student body is diverse and rooted in the community. The school feeds into Ossining High School, which sits in the pedestrian-friendly village center. A parent may want to look into the school's specific academic supports, curriculum choices, and the district's timeline and planning for the building transition to understand how these changes will affect daily instruction and peer environment during the transition years.

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

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	316	54.0%
Math	79	100.0%

Math

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 40%

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

Grade 751%

School 51% · District 50%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 44%

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

English language arts

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 32%

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Science

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 24% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 878%

School 78% · district not reported

even with state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

This schoolOSSINING UNION FREE 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-income18%Higher-income45%27 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income23%Higher-income41%18 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income32%Higher-income48%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income46%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income39%Higher-income61%22 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income36%Higher-income52%17 pp gap