Waverly Middle School, Waverly NY

Original Research by School Decision on Waverly Middle School

Waverly Middle School serves students in grades five through eight in a school community of about average size for a rural middle school in upstate New York. The school is located in Waverly, a small incorporated village on the New York-Pennsylvania border in Tioga County that grew from a 19th-century railroad town. Its economy has shifted from rail-dependent industries toward modern manufacturing, including a major dairy processing facility and other light manufacturing that anchor local employment.

The school's academic performance shows a mixed picture by subject and grade level. In mathematics, proficiency runs from the low-to-mid range in fifth grade, climbs notably in sixth grade, holds steady in seventh, and reaches its strongest point by eighth grade. English language arts proficiency stays fairly consistent across grades five through seven in the low-to-mid range, then improves in eighth grade. Science presents a steeper climb: fifth-grade proficiency is notably low, but by eighth grade it reaches a more solid midrange level. The most recent state data available for social studies dates to an earlier testing period and cannot be directly compared to current performance. Across the school's four tested subjects in the current year, students' average proficiency sits in the top quartile among the six districts in Tioga County, a meaningful distinction that reflects the school's standing relative to its immediate peers.

The enrollment includes a substantial share of students from families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch programs, just under half the school community. The student body is predominantly White, with very small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Data on special education enrollment and English learner populations was not available. Just under half of tested students qualified for free or reduced lunch assistance.

The Waverly Central School District completed a major modernization project across all its schools between 2021 and 2025, funded substantially through state aid. This work brought air conditioning throughout the building, new athletic facilities including turf fields and an indoor track, upgrades to science and technology spaces, and security improvements at entry points. For families considering the district, this infrastructure investment represents durable improvement with minimal local tax burden because state aid covered the bulk of the cost. The district's website was not available in the data provided, so details about specific course offerings, electives, clubs, or other student programs were not examined.

Waverly Middle School teaches grades that fall outside the state's high school assessment and accountability system, so graduation rates do not apply. Student attendance data and classroom discipline records were not available. The school's location in a compact historic village with regional bus access means families rely on public or personal transportation; direct information about school busing or accessibility from surrounding areas was not included in the available data.

A parent evaluating this school should recognize that eighth-grade performance across subjects outpaces earlier grades, suggesting either developmental strengthening in academic skill, instructional gains at that level, or both. Conversely, science proficiency in fifth grade presents a notable weak point that a parent may want to look into further with the school. The standing among county schools in overall proficiency is a reliable indicator, though it does not predict outcomes at the sending high school. The recent capital improvements represent genuine institutional investment in the facility that should support teaching and learning conditions going forward.

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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	22	100.0%
Science	21	100.0%

Math

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 55%

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

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 60% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median

Grade 757%

School 57% · District 56% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 68% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 42%

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

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 46% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median

Grade 745%

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

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 57% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median

Science

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 864%

School 64% · District 63% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 869%

School 69% · district not reported

▼ 9 pts below state median

This schoolWAVERLY 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-income33%Higher-income58%25 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income67%35 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income41%Higher-income55%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income48%Higher-income66%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income81%42 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income49%Higher-income77%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income51%Higher-income68%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income56%Higher-income81%25 pp gap