Royalton-hartland Middle School, Middleport NY

Original Research by School Decision on Royalton-hartland Middle School

Royalton-Hartland Middle School is a mid-sized public middle school serving grades five through eight in Middleport, a small Erie Canal village in Niagara County. The school sits on a consolidated district campus along State Street on the village's southern edge, within walking distance of downtown. About half the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly white, with small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds.

The school's state test results show a pattern of strength in mathematics and growing proficiency as students advance through the grades, with eighth-grade math performance notably strong. In math, fifth graders show below-midpoint proficiency, but the trend rises sharply: sixth grade improves, seventh grade climbs further, and by eighth grade proficiency reaches a solid level. English language arts results are more uneven. Fifth and eighth grades show roughly mid-range proficiency, while sixth and seventh grades fall below that threshold. Science proficiency at fifth grade sits near the midpoint; eighth grade science is stronger. Participation rates in testing cluster in the low to mid-range, meaning some students were absent on test days. Against other districts in Niagara County, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile.

The school offers music as part of its arts program. No information on other course offerings, special services, or staffing was available. As a middle school, it has no graduation rate. Chronic absenteeism data was not reported.

The community context is one of relative economic stability without growth pressure. Home values in the Middleport zip code are modest by regional standards. A substantial share of families qualify for federal meal support. The dominant local employer is FMC Corporation's agricultural chemical plant, which has deep historical ties to the village but is also the site of a long-running environmental cleanup for arsenic contamination affecting nearby residential and school properties. The school district itself is a significant local employer. The village has seen flat population trends and limited new housing construction in recent years, though a capital project approved by voters in late 2024 is bringing facility improvements: the middle school is getting a new playground, the high school is receiving ADA accessibility upgrades, and the elementary building is getting roof and masonry work. This work is scheduled to run through summer 2028 with no tax impact to families.

For a family choosing this school, the picture is a well-performing middle grades math pathway in a stable, small community setting where the school and village anchor one another. Test results suggest the school supports upward academic trajectory, especially in quantitative subjects. Families should feel confident about the mathematics preparation; ELA proficiency may warrant closer conversation with the school about reading and writing support, particularly for sixth and seventh graders. The community is economically modest and development is not a major driver; the setting is fundamentally residential and rural in character, organized around the Erie Canal and village center.

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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	16	100.0%
Science	12	100.0%

Math

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 47%

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

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 52% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 766%

School 66% · District 64% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 884%

School 84% · District 81% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 47 pts above state median · ▲ 54 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 54%

even with state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 43% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 45% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 849%

School 49% · District 48% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 51% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 860%

School 60% · District 58% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 597%

School 97% · district not reported

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

Grade 877%

School 77% · district not reported

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

This schoolROYALTON-HARTLAND 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 5Lower-income46%Higher-income62%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income47%7 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income30%Higher-income58%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income30%Higher-income62%31 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income44%Higher-income50%7 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income42%Higher-income62%20 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income56%Higher-income73%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income75%Higher-income89%14 pp gap