Mullen Elementary School, Tonawanda NY

Original Research by School Decision on Mullen Elementary School

Mullen Elementary School is closed and no longer operating. The school served upper elementary grades in the City of Tonawanda as part of the Tonawanda City School District and was located on Syracuse Street. It ceased operations in June 2023 as part of a major district consolidation effort.

The closure resulted from the district's TONA2020 capital project, a voter-approved referendum that merged three aging elementary buildings (Fletcher, Mullen, and Riverview) into a single new consolidated elementary school. This decision reshaped how the district serves its youngest students, moving them from multiple neighborhood buildings to one modern facility. The district subsequently authorized the sale of the closed Mullen building for private redevelopment, adding the formerly tax-exempt property to the City of Tonawanda's tax base.

The most recent state testing data available for the school are from the 2022-23 school year, its final year of operation. In math, third-grade students showed about a third achieving proficiency, while fourth graders performed slightly lower. Fifth and seventh grade had no test-taking students, suggesting the school served only kindergarten through fourth grade or operated with very small upper grades. In English language arts, third-grade proficiency rates matched math, while fourth grade saw somewhat lower performance. Science results from the prior year (2021-22) showed a notably strong performance in fourth-grade science proficiency. The school's overall participation rates in tested grades were generally in the low to mid-range, suggesting either absences or a smaller enrolled population.

Enrollment and demographic data for the school were not available. Staffing, attendance, special populations, and program information were likewise absent from the records.

The former Mullen building now stands available for community and private use in the City of Tonawanda, an Erie County city undergoing waterfront and downtown revitalization. The broader Tonawanda City School District continues to operate with a new consolidated elementary school, a middle/high school campus, and a second major capital improvement project approved at voter referendum in December 2024.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 41% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 48% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 54% · ▼ 54 pts below district

▼ 51 pts below state median

Grade 70%

School 0% · District 56% · ▼ 56 pts below district

▼ 53 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 50% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 43% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 50% · ▼ 50 pts below district

▼ 54 pts below state median

Grade 70%

School 0% · District 44% · ▼ 43 pts below district

▼ 47 pts below state median

Science

Grade 493%

School 93% · district not reported

▲ 7 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 588%

School 88% · district not reported

▼ 4 pts below state median

This schoolTONAWANDA CITY 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-income20%Higher-income55%35 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income11%Higher-income61%50 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income23%Higher-income52%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income14%Higher-income65%51 pp gap