Charles E Schwarting School, Massapequa NY

Original Research by School Decision on Charles E Schwarting School

Charles E. Schwarting School is a small elementary school serving prekindergarten through grade five in Massapequa, a South Shore suburban community in Nassau County. The school sits within the Plainedge Union Free School District, which covers Plainedge and North Massapequa neighborhoods, a setting of mostly single-family homes (post-war ranches, colonials, Cape Cods) with some modern townhomes and waterfront properties along Great South Bay. The area is described as family-oriented with tree-lined streets and deep community ties.

The school's enrollment is small, with about four hundred students spread fairly evenly across grades, plus a substantial pre-K. This size brings the intimacy and continuity of a neighborhood school where staff and families likely know each other well. The student body is predominantly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students and very small populations of Asian and Black students. About one in sixteen students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a low rate reflecting relatively affluent families in the area.

On state assessments in math and ELA, Schwarting sits above the midpoint among Nassau County districts overall. In math, roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of third through fifth graders scored at proficiency in the most recent testing year. ELA proficiency was somewhat lower, ranging from about half to three-fifths of students, with fourth grade dipping noticeably. A parent may want to look into the gap between math and ELA performance with the school directly. In science, fifth graders achieved proficiency at a rate similar to their ELA cohort. These are solid but not exceptional results; the school is positioned as an average-to-above-average elementary performer within its county context.

The district recently expanded access by launching a free, full-day universal pre-K program funded by a New York State grant, available by lottery. Families pursuing this need to provide their own transportation. The district also just secured voter approval for a substantial, multiyear capital reserve fund and is planning significant facility upgrades—HVAC, windows, paving, audiovisual systems, gym flooring, and science room renovation—signaling investment in building infrastructure. The 2026-2027 budget does carry a higher tax levy.

Housing in the Massapequa zip code ranges upward, with median home values in the mid-eight-hundred-thousands and steady year-over-year appreciation. Rental costs are substantial as well. The area is largely built out post-war suburban; the main development story is the proposed redevelopment of the Sunrise Mall site in East Massapequa into a logistics facility, not housing. The Massapequa LIRR station on the Babylon Branch sits near Broadway, offering direct access to New York City in roughly an hour.

A parent considering Schwarting can expect a small, neighborhood-based school in a stable, affluent residential area with moderate academic performance, reasonable class diversity within the community, and an active district investing in facilities. Families seeking a larger school or significantly higher test scores may want to explore neighboring schools, and the ELA-math gap is worth discussing directly with the school.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 370%

School 70% · District 67% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 73% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 62% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 57% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 61% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 61% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 59% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 593%

School 93% · district not reported

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

This schoolPLAINEDGE 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 3Lower-income50%Higher-income62%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income57%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income67%Higher-income71%4 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income71%Higher-income77%5 pp gap