Hewitt School, Rockville Centre NY

Original Research by School Decision on Hewitt School

Hewitt School is a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade elementary school in Rockville Centre, a walkable, transit-connected village on Long Island's South Shore. The school sits on a neighborhood campus rather than in the downtown; it is one of five elementary schools in the Rockville Centre Union Free School District, which also serves the village through a middle school and high school.

The school's academic profile shows solid proficiency in math and English language arts across its tested grades. In math, third-grade students reach proficiency at rates in the high seventies, fourth grade at rates near eighty percent, and fifth grade at rates near ninety percent. English proficiency is similarly strong, with third and fifth graders at rates in the high seventies to mid-eighties, though fourth grade sits slightly lower at rates in the low seventies. Science proficiency in fifth grade, the only grade tested in that subject, sits in the high sixties. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among Nassau County districts, a meaningful strength for an elementary-serving community. Participation in state assessments is strong, running mostly in the high eighties to high nineties.

The student body is small to moderate in size for its grade band, with relatively balanced enrollment across kindergarten through fifth grade. About four percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that most families have above-poverty incomes. The racial and ethnic composition is predominantly white, with meaningful representation of Hispanic students and smaller populations of Black and Asian students. The data did not include counts of students receiving special education services or identified as English learners, so parents seeking detail on those populations should contact the school directly.

Rockville Centre itself is a mixed residential and commercial community anchored by a walkable downtown with restaurants, bars, and retail near the LIRR station. Housing is expensive, with median home values substantially above the state benchmark and rental costs reflecting a market in strong demand. The village has seen recent development of luxury rental apartments near the station, and the community has a small affordable-housing component. The school district, however, has recently faced significant budget strain. The district announced a large deficit and adopted a 2026-27 budget that eliminates substantial teaching and teaching-assistant positions. Publicly reported, the adopted budget carries a property-tax levy increase that would add a meaningful recurring annual cost for average homeowners moving to the area.

For families considering Hewitt, the school offers solid core academic performance and a neighborhood setting in a pedestrian-friendly village with good train access to Manhattan. Parents should factor the district's recent staffing reductions into their assessment of classroom conditions and services, and they should anticipate that property taxes in this market will rise further as budgets tighten.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 376%

School 76% · District 80% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 78% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 590%

School 90% · District 78% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 379%

School 79% · District 78% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 473%

School 73% · District 76% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 584%

School 84% · District 82% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 568%

School 68% · District 75% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 595%

School 95% · district not reported

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

This schoolROCKVILLE CENTRE 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.