WEST GATES AVENUE SCHOOL

WEST GATES AVENUE SCHOOL, an intimate elementary school in LINDENHURST, New York, run under LINDENHURST UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT, hosts 303 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. That puts it 32% below the typical public school in New York, which averages around 443 students.

LINDENHURST UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT comprises 8 schools with combined enrollment of 5,560 students; WEST GATES AVENUE SCHOOL is among them.

On demographics, WEST GATES AVENUE SCHOOL lists that 59% of the student body identifies as White. The remainder breaks down as 29% Hispanic, 5% Black, 3% multiracial, 2% Asian.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, WEST GATES AVENUE SCHOOL has 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 12.8:1, putting WEST GATES AVENUE SCHOOL tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 40% of students at WEST GATES AVENUE SCHOOL qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, WEST GATES AVENUE SCHOOL tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 60.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 48.3%.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Suffolk County indicate median household earnings sit near $130,686, roughly 40% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 4%. In all, Suffolk County runs 343 public schools (combined enrollment of about 222,439 students), of which WEST GATES AVENUE SCHOOL is one.

Nearest neighbor: ALBANY AVENUE SCHOOL, around 0.5 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around WEST GATES AVENUE SCHOOL. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts WEST GATES AVENUE SCHOOL at 6th of 9; the average score across the group is 49.0%.

Geographically, the school is in a bedroom-community area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 9%: 333 students in 2018 compared to 303 in 2025. The White share of enrollment contracted from 71% to 59% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 13.3:1 in 2018 to 11.8:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.