Wenonah School, Lake Grove NY - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Wenonah School

Wenonah School is a small elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Lake Grove, a commercial and residential suburb in central Long Island's Sachem Central School District. The school enrolls students across the full grade band, with a balanced mix of about equal numbers in the younger grades and slightly smaller cohorts in the upper elementary years.

The student body reflects the broader suburban Long Island population. The majority of students identify as white, with a substantial Hispanic population alongside smaller Asian and Black communities. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing Wenonah in a moderate-income school population—neither the most affluent nor the most economically stressed in the area.

On state math and English language arts testing in 2024-25, Wenonah's results show strength in the lower elementary grades with notable weakening as students advance. In third grade, proficiency rates are solid across both subjects. By fourth grade, both math and ELA proficiency decline, and in fifth grade the drop is more pronounced, particularly in ELA where fewer than half of tested students meet proficiency. Science proficiency in fifth grade sits in the middle range. These patterns suggest students start strong but may face accelerating academic demands or support gaps as they progress through the upper elementary years. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand whether these trends reflect curriculum pacing changes, shifting student composition by grade, or other factors affecting learning trajectories.

The testing participation rates across grades are notably low, ranging from a quarter to less than half of enrolled students. This could reflect a mix of factors: students absent on test days, opt-outs, or special populations not taking state assessments. The school should be able to explain the factors behind these participation patterns.

Lake Grove itself is a settled suburban village with moderate commercial activity centered on the Smith Haven Mall and nearby shopping corridors. Housing values in the area are substantial—in line with broader Long Island markets—and the community supports both family-oriented and retirement housing. The village retains quiet residential streets, but daily life is organized around driving to shopping and schools rather than walking to a downtown center. Three school districts serve Lake Grove, with Wenonah lying in Sachem's territory.

The Sachem district has faced serious financial headwinds in recent years. Budget referendums failed in 2024, forcing program cuts. For 2025-26 the district confronted a multimillion-dollar gap and tapped reserves to preserve core programs while avoiding school closures. Voters also rejected a proposal in 2025 that would have sharply cut bus eligibility, keeping existing transportation in place. These financial pressures are a practical concern for families, as they can lead to larger classes, reduced enrichment offerings, or tax increases over time.

Wenonah is a neighborhood school serving its immediate area with no specialized programs noted in available data. It functions as a traditional public elementary school with the strengths and vulnerabilities that appear in its test results: solid early-grade performance and questions about upper-elementary support.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 384%

School 84% · District 57% · ▲ 28 pts above district

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

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 54% · ▲ 22 pts above district

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

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 53% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 48% · ▼ 47 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 46 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 381%

School 81% · District 49% · ▲ 32 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 473%

School 73% · District 44% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 42% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 35% · ▼ 35 pts below district

▼ 46 pts below state median · ▼ 45 pts below county median

Science

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 46% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 5100%

School 100% · district not reported

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

This schoolSACHEM 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-income86%Higher-income80%6 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income100%44 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income46%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income75%Higher-income87%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income70%Higher-income86%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income11%Higher-income69%58 pp gap