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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
447
Elementary
DISTRICT 456 · STATE 443
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT (MONTGOMERY)·NCES 361968001804
WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
75 ORCHARD ST, WALDEN, NY 12586 · (845) 457-2400 · Orange County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY31-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL447 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 28% of New York public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded New York public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
12.1:1
37 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.1:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
40%
181 students
DISTRICT 37% · STATE 58%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 74 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 71 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 69 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 77 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 77 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 79 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (74) is 6% smaller than its 5th grade class (79).
Student demographics
65%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 62% · 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
Based on grade levels within VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT (MONTGOMERY). Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NYS Assessments 2024-25 . % Proficient (Level 3 + Level 4)English Language Arts
41.0%
NY avg 58.3% . +5.0pp since 2023
Math
52.0%
NY avg 57.4% . +3.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the NYS Assessments, New York's statewide test, about 41 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 5 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 3 points.
NYS Assessments results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 41.0% | 52.0% |
| 2023-24 | 36.0% | 49.0% |
% 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
43.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
60.1%
based on NY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-17.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 60% 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 WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's state test result (43.0% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL this school | 447 | 40.5% | 43.0% |
| TERRYVILLE ROAD SCHOOL PORT JEFFERSON STA | 471 | 41.4% | 31.2% |
| DANIEL STREET SCHOOL LINDENHURST | 495 | 42.0% | 43.9% |
| PLATTEKILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PLATTEKILL | 426 | 38.7% | 59.0% |
| TAFT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WASHINGTONVILLE | 522 | 38.7% | 46.6% |
| NORTH PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HYDE PARK | 463 | 42.8% | 42.0% |
Matched among New York elementary 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 WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New York | In Orange County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 43.0% | #1,477 of 2,335 | #25 of 40 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 52.0% | #1,374 of 2,342 ▼ 17 | #22 of 40 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 41.0% | #1,755 of 2,343 ▼ 257 | #32 of 40 ▼ 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 447 | #1,087 of 2,585 | #30 of 47 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.1:1 | #1,316 of 2,338 | #30 of 43 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 64.7% | #479 of 2,388 | #6 of 43 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 40.5% | #1,677 of 2,534 | #24 of 45 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -2.4% | #1,641 of 1,757 | #31 of 31 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
447
+25 (+6%) vs 2020
-23% since 1990-91, when it was 582
Student : Teacher
12.1:1
was 10.3:1
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 | 447 | 36.9 | 12.1:1 | 40% (181) |
| 2023-24 | 424 | 40 | 10.6:1 | 46% (194) |
| 2022-23 | 411 | 37.3 | 11.0:1 | 48% (199) |
| 2020-21 | 422 | 41 | 10.3:1 | 44% (184) |
| 2017-18 | 458 | 35 | 13.1:1 | 49% (224) |
| 2015-16 | 459 | 34 | 13.5:1 | 48% (222) |
| 2010-11 | 521 | 44 | 11.8:1 | 37% (192) |
| 2000-01 | 619 | 39 | 15.9:1 | 29% (181) |
| 1990-91 | 582 | 33 | 17.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
About WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Among the schools in WALDEN, New York, is WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, a mid-sized elementary school. The school has 447 students in 2024-25 across kindergarten through 5.
VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT (MONTGOMERY) counts 6 schools and 4,152 students, including WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
At WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, White students make up the biggest share, 49%. Other students are 32% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, 8% Black, and 2% Asian. By comparison, Orange County residents are about 62% White. A diversity index of 65% means there is a 65% chance two randomly chosen students at WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL are from different groups.
The school lists 36.9 full-time-equivalent teachers and a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.1:1. The average for elementary schools in New York, 12.8:1, is higher. A total of 181 students, or 40%, are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
Among New York public elementary schools, WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL outscored 28%, which works out to a C on the allk12 Grade.
Based on student poverty, the model expects 60.1% at WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL; the school's average proficiency rate across its state test results is 43.0%.
American Community Survey estimates for Orange County show that the median household earns about $97,178 a year, about 33% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 9%. Across Orange County, 82 public schools serve about 57,122 students.
Among nearby public schools, BEREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is closest at about 2.3 miles. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Among the 9 closest schools with test data, this one included, WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks 9th on average proficiency.
Locale data from NCES put WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in a town close to an urbanized area (Town: Fringe).
Since 2020-21, enrollment has grown 6%, from 422 to 447. Students per teacher increased from 10.3 in 2020-21 to 12.1 in 2024-25.
On allk12, people connected to WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL can post about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Orange County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
406,616
Census ACS
Median income
$97,178
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
82
57,122 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT (MONTGOMERY)
- VALLEY CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,385 students
- VALLEY CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 945 students
- MONTGOMERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 539 students
- BEREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 497 students
- EAST COLDENHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 339 students
Other Walden Elementary schools
One other US public school is named Walden Elementary. WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is the largest of the 2.
- Walden Elementary SchoolDeerfield, IL · 445 students
Nearby schools
- BEREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL2.3 mi · 497
- VALLEY CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL2.8 mi · 1,385
- VALLEY CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL2.8 mi · 945
- JOHN G BORDEN MIDDLE SCHOOL3.2 mi · 409
- OSTRANDER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL3.4 mi · 481
- WALLKILL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL3.7 mi · 930
Frequently asked questions
About WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLHow many students attend WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL enrolls approximately 447 students in grades KG-05.
Is WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL an elementary, middle, or high school?
WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL have?
WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL employs 37 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.1:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
At WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, the student body is approximately 49% White, 32% Hispanic, 8% Black, 2% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Is WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL public or private?
WALDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a public K-12 school, overseen by VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT (MONTGOMERY).
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.