Sag Harbor Elementary School, Sag Harbor NY

Original Research by School Decision on Sag Harbor Elementary School

Sag Harbor Elementary School serves about four-hundred students in pre-K through fifth grade in a small coastal village on Long Island's East End. The school sits at 68 Hampton Street, walking distance from the historic downtown and waterfront that define the community. Its parent district, the Sag Harbor Union Free School District, operates only two schools: this elementary and Pierson Middle-High School.

The school's students reflect the village's economic and demographic composition. Just over a quarter of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial population identifying as Hispanic, and smaller groups of Asian and Black students represented. Data on students receiving special education services or learning English as a second language were not available.

Academic performance shows a mixed picture across the tested subjects and grade bands. In mathematics, fourth-grade proficiency sits noticeably higher than third and fifth grade. English language arts shows more variation: third grade is below the school's average, fourth grade is near the midpoint, and fifth grade stands significantly above it, near strong performance. Fifth-grade science proficiency falls in the middle range. When looking at the school's overall proficiency rate across all tested subjects and grade levels, it ranks in the top quartile among Suffolk County districts, positioning it well above the county's typical school. This means the school is performing stronger than most of its neighbors in the county.

The testing data raises one soft spot worth noting. Fourth-grade ELA shows notably lower proficiency than the other tested grades at this school, and the participation rate in that grade dipped below what appears elsewhere in the school. A parent may want to check with the school directly about what supports are in place for fourth-grade readers and writers, and whether there are targeted interventions at play.

Sag Harbor itself is an affluent, highly educated community with deep ties to tourism and a strongly seasonal character. Home values are high. The village is anchored by a walkable downtown with a 19th-century maritime heritage, now a tourist draw with restaurants, galleries, and specialty shops. The John Jermain Memorial Library sits at the heart of Main Street and serves as a cultural anchor. Affordable housing remains a concern despite community efforts; officials and local media describe the village as at a tipping point as chain retailers displace local businesses and property values climb.

At the district level, voters approved a substantial capital improvement bond in January 2026 to upgrade Pierson Middle-High School with a new science lab, a new gymnasium, and renovated facilities. This represents a lasting commitment to infrastructure, though it adds a regular cost to homeowners' property taxes over the bond's life. For families with children at the elementary school, this signals the district's willingness to invest in physical spaces as students move through grades.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 67%

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

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 75% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 65% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 357%

School 57% · District 57%

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

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 59% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 584%

School 84% · District 83% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Science

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 64% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 598%

School 98% · district not reported

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

This schoolSAG HARBOR 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-income21%Higher-income71%50 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income68%35 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income69%Higher-income88%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income45%Higher-income75%30 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income93%62 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income73%38 pp gap