The top reported proficiency rate is 97% in Social studies. The lowest is 71% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Ogden Elementary School
Ogden Elementary School sits on Longview Avenue in Valley Stream, a South Shore Nassau County village that blends dense single-family neighborhoods with a retail corridor anchored by one of Long Island's larger shopping destinations. The school is part of the Hewlett-Woodmere Union Free School District, serves grades two through five, and draws students from a community positioned roughly a half-hour by rail from Manhattan. Valley Stream itself is in active transition: the village has been pursuing transit-oriented development near its LIRR station and downtown Rockaway Avenue corridor, and publicly received a state Downtown Revitalization Initiative award in the 2025-2026 window for an "International Downtown" vision centered on housing, small business growth, and pedestrian safety.
On state assessments, Ogden's results across its tested grades tell a varied but generally strong story. Third-grade proficiency in both math and ELA lands in the low-to-mid seventies, a solid baseline. Fifth grade is where the school's performance concentrates most visibly: math proficiency in fifth grade reaches into the high eighties, and ELA proficiency in that same cohort sits in the high seventies. Fifth-grade science results similarly land in the mid-seventies. Fourth grade is the soft spot. Both math and ELA proficiency in fourth grade sit meaningfully below the third- and fifth-grade figures, with math dropping into the upper fifties and ELA into the low sixties. This is worth a conversation with the school: whether the pattern reflects a particular cohort, a transition in curriculum, or something else is not something the data can answer on its own. Looking at the school's standing among districts in Nassau County, Ogden's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint of the county's districts, which in a county with many competitive suburban districts is a meaningful position.
Participation rates across grades are worth noting. They fall below levels typically expected under state testing guidelines, particularly in fourth grade, which had the lowest testing participation of any grade. This means the proficiency figures for some grades are based on a share of eligible students rather than the full cohort, and the gaps between test-takers and enrolled students are large enough that the picture could look different if participation were complete. A parent who wants to understand this more fully should ask the school directly.
The enrollment is modest for an elementary school of this grade band. The student body is majority white, with Hispanic, Black, and Asian students each represented at varying levels, and a meaningful share of students across racial groups that makes this a genuinely mixed school by Nassau County standards. Roughly a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school in a middle economic range rather than at either extreme. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not reported in what was provided, so families seeking detail on those supports should ask the district.
The Hewlett-Woodmere district has been active on the facilities side. Voters approved a capital project to renovate Hewlett High School and Woodmere Middle School, including new science labs at both campuses and a redesigned high school auditorium, and that work was publicly reported as completed in 2025. Families moving into the attendance zone now enter a district where the upper-school facilities have recently been upgraded. On the financial side, the district held its tax levy flat for several years before shifting to a pattern of modest annual increases; the most recent adopted budget and its associated tax projections show the district on an upward spending trajectory, which is a practical consideration for anyone weighing long-term housing costs.
The housing market surrounding Ogden reflects broader Nassau County prices, which run substantially above the statewide median and far above national benchmarks. The local ZIP code typifies Valley Stream's residential character: home values reflect the premium that comes with proximity to New York City, LIRR access, and a competitive school district. Rents are also elevated. Inventory in Nassau County has been growing gradually, with homes moving relatively quickly once listed, so the market remains competitive even as supply ticks upward.
For a family with children in grades two through five, Ogden offers above-median academic performance in a mixed-income, racially diverse school of manageable size, in a village that still carries the texture of a real downtown rather than purely auto-oriented suburbia. The fourth-grade dip in proficiency and the participation gaps across grades are the primary academic questions worth raising with the school before making a decision.
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