Panama K-6 School, Panama NY - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Panama K-6 School

Panama K-6 School serves a small, stable rural community in southwestern Chautauqua County and educates a predominantly white student body from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The school sits within the compact village of Panama, near the civic core of Main Street, so families do not need to travel to a separate campus location to access school services.

The enrollment is modest, with roughly equal grade cohorts of about twenty to mid-thirty students per grade level. Enrollment data shows no recent flux; the school has held stable around this size. Slightly less than half the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating mixed economic circumstances within the catchment. The student population is over ninety percent white, with small numbers of students identifying as Hispanic, multiracial, or Asian; the school does not report counts or rates for English learners or students with disabilities, which is typical of schools this size and setting.

On state testing in mathematics and English language arts, Panama K-6 shows uneven but reasonably solid performance across grades three through six. Math proficiency is strongest in grade five, where the school sits well above the typical proficiency rate, while grades three, four, and six cluster in the mid-sixty to low-seventy percent range. English language arts proficiency is comparatively weaker; grade four sits notably below grade-level performance at under sixty percent, while grades three, five, and six each sit in the mid-sixty to low-seventy percent range. Science proficiency in grade five, the only grade tested, is near seventy percent. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it in the top quartile of districts in Chautauqua County, meaning academic outcomes are above the county median, though the range within grades and subjects shows where individual students may need support.

The school is not designated as Title I, and the payload contained no information about specialized academic programs, advanced offerings, or extracurricular activities, so those details are not available from the data provided. Similarly, information on staffing, attendance, or school climate was not available.

Panama Central School District, the parent district, is currently in an active reorganization process. In May 2025, voters approved beginning discussions about merging Panama, Clymer, and Sherman central school districts into a single combined district. A feasibility study is underway, with a straw vote planned for October 2026, a reorganization vote in December 2026, and the earliest possible date for a new merged district to open July 2027. This potential change could materially affect school assignment, governance, budget, and programming for families currently in the Panama schools or considering them. A parent may want to look into the district's communications about this reorganization and what it might mean for school operations and enrollment patterns. The district also recently completed capital improvements focused on entrance security and cafeteria renovation, beginning work around 2025 with an expected finish by December 2025.

The village of Panama itself is very small, with a stable population of a few hundred people centered on a compact, walkable Main Street where village offices, the fire department, and churches sit within a few blocks. The broader economy of the region is rooted in agriculture, with farms, dairy operations, and Amish goods characterizing the surrounding town of Harmony and Chautauqua County more widely. Panama Rocks, a scenic park with rock formations and trails, is the region's signature outdoor attraction and draws visitors seasonally. The village has experienced little population growth or new housing development in recent years. Housing values in the broader zip code are modest, with home values and rental costs well below state and national benchmarks, making the area affordable for families seeking lower-cost housing. The local job market reflects county-level employment in manufacturing, retail, services, and agriculture; the Panama Central School District itself serves as a significant institutional employer in the village.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 370%

School 70% · District 70%

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

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 62%

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

Grade 581%

School 81% · District 81%

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 41 pts above county median

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 65%

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

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 56%

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

Grade 571%

School 71% · District 71%

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

Grade 667%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Science

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 69%

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

Social studies

Grade 594%

School 94% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

This schoolPANAMA 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-income50%Higher-income79%29 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income46%Higher-income75%30 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income53%Higher-income88%34 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income55%Higher-income75%20 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income46%Higher-income47%1 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income42%Higher-income60%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income67%Higher-income73%7 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income83%33 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income60%Higher-income100%40 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income64%Higher-income63%1 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income42%Higher-income71%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income42%Higher-income66%24 pp gap