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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
513
Middle
DISTRICT 546 · STATE 531
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PATCHOGUE-MEDFORD UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 362247003168
SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
225 S OCEAN AVE, PATCHOGUE, NY 11772 · (631) 687-6600 · Suffolk County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL513 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
10.3:1
50 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.5:1 · STATE 10.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
53%
271 students
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 58%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 173 | 34% |
| Grade 7 | 170 | 33% |
| Grade 8 | 166 | 32% |
| Ungraded | 4 | 1% |
Student demographics
59%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 60% · STATE 72% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL→PATCHOGUE-MEDFORD HIGH SCHOOL
Based on grade levels within PATCHOGUE-MEDFORD UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NYS Assessments 2024-25 . % Proficient (Level 3 + Level 4)English Language Arts
39.0%
NY avg 58.3% . +9.0pp since 2023
Math
52.0%
NY avg 57.4% . +11.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the NYS Assessments, New York's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 52 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all New York schools, those numbers are about 58 and 57. Reading and writing scores are up about 9 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 11 points.
NYS Assessments results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 39.0% | 52.0% |
| 2023-24 | 30.0% | 40.9% |
% Proficient (Level 3 + Level 4), all students and all tested grades.
Source: NYS Assessments. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
41.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
55.6%
based on NY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-14.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 41% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 56% typical for New York schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among New York's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL's state test result (41.2% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL this school | 513 | 52.8% | 41.2% |
| J TAYLOR FINLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL HUNTINGTON | 579 | 54.1% | 48.9% |
| OREGON MIDDLE SCHOOL MEDFORD | 545 | 52.1% | 43.8% |
| JAMES A FARLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STONY POINT | 533 | 49.5% | 43.1% |
| SLEEPY HOLLOW MIDDLE SCHOOL NORTH TARRYTOWN | 617 | 55.3% | 56.0% |
| SILAS WOOD 6TH GRADE CENTER HUNTINGTON STATION | 418 | 45.9% | 41.5% |
Matched among New York middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In New York | In Suffolk County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 41.2% | #588 of 766 | #57 of 66 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 52.0% | #473 of 768 ▲ 127 | #48 of 66 ▲ 13 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 39.0% | #542 of 768 ▲ 108 | #40 of 66 ▲ 11 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 513 | #348 of 796 | #51 of 66 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.3:1 | #341 of 683 | #37 of 66 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 58.9% | #205 of 688 | #24 of 66 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 52.8% | #389 of 773 | #14 of 66 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -1.7% | #496 of 524 | #56 of 59 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
513
-99 (-16%) vs 2020
-18% since 1990-91, when it was 626
Student : Teacher
10.3:1
was 13.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 513 | 49.8 | 10.3:1 | 53% (271) |
| 2023-24 | 559 | 57.7 | 9.7:1 | 59% (330) |
| 2022-23 | 599 | 55.4 | 10.8:1 | 57% (344) |
| 2020-21 | 612 | 46 | 13.3:1 | 65% (397) |
| 2017-18 | 522 | 30.3 | 17.2:1 | 62% (326) |
| 2015-16 | 481 | 22 | 21.9:1 | 62% (296) |
| 2010-11 | 513 | 29 | 17.7:1 | 35% (179) |
| 2000-01 | 726 | 48 | 15.1:1 | 26% (190) |
| 1990-91 | 626 | 48 | 13.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
About SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL is a middle-grades school in PATCHOGUE, New York, reachable at (631) 687-6600. School enrollment was 513 students in 2024-25, in grades 6 through 8.
PATCHOGUE-MEDFORD UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT enrolls 7,605 students, and its 11 schools include SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
Hispanic students account for 54% of enrollment at SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL. Other groups make up 34% White, 6% Black, and 5% multiracial. Suffolk County as a whole is about 23% Hispanic, so the school's share is higher. The chance that two students picked at random at SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 59%.
Its teaching staff equals 49.8 full-time positions, a ratio of 10.3:1. Across middle schools in New York, the average ratio is about 10.3:1. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, a common measure of family income, is 53%. That is 14 points above the 39% average for public schools in Suffolk County.
Based on its free or reduced-price lunch share, the BeatsExpectations model predicts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 55.6% for SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL. The school posts 41.2%, 14.3 points below the prediction.
According to the American Community Survey, in Suffolk County, median household income is about $130,686, roughly 40% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 4% of residents live below the federal poverty line. SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL is one of 343 public schools in Suffolk County, which together enroll about 222,439 students.
BAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is the closest public school, about 0.3 miles away in a straight line. SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL comes in 4th of 8 nearby schools on average proficiency.
The school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more, according to its NCES locale (Suburb: Large).
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL went from 612 students to 513. The student-to-teacher ratio went down from 13.3:1 to 10.3:1.
Posts about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater are welcome on this page. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Suffolk County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,530,146
Census ACS
Median income
$130,686
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
40%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
343
222,439 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in PATCHOGUE-MEDFORD UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT
- PATCHOGUE-MEDFORD HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,487 students
- EAGLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 680 students
- CANAAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 596 students
- SAXTON MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 579 students
- OREGON MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 545 students
- BARTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 515 students
Other schools in PATCHOGUE
- EASTERN SUFFOLK BOCESCombined · 2,043 students
- CANAAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 596 students
- SAXTON MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 579 students
- BARTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 515 students
- MEDFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 513 students
- BAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 430 students
Nearby schools
- BAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL0.3 mi · 430
- RIVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL0.6 mi · 314
- MEDFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.1 mi · 513
- BLUE POINT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.5 mi · 218
- EASTERN SUFFOLK BOCES1.6 mi · 2,043
- SAXTON MIDDLE SCHOOL1.7 mi · 579
Frequently asked questions
About SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOLHow large is SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL?
SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL enrolls approximately 513 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL serve?
SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL serves grades 06-08.
How many students per teacher at SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL?
Approximately 10.3:1 students per teacher at SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
What is the student diversity at SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL?
Student demographics at SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL are roughly 34% White, 54% Hispanic, 6% Black, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL in?
SOUTH OCEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL is part of PATCHOGUE-MEDFORD UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.