Long Island test scores: Students in grades 3-8 make significant progress in English, math in 2024-25 school year

English language arts and math scores for Long Island students in grades three to eight rose in the 2024-25 school year — and those improvements were evident even in more academically challenged districts.

The most significant increase was in English language arts, or ELA, with 55.5% of students meeting or exceeding proficiency standards, a 7.4 percentage point jump from the prior year.

In math, 60.1% of students earned proficiency or better compared with 57.7% for the 2023-24 year.

The region overall continued to outperform the state, which also had better outcomes this year. The latest state results showed the percentage of students who earned ratings of proficiency or better in English was 53.2% and 55.1% for math, compared with 46.3 in English and 52.3 in math last year, a Newsday analysis found.

Results varied by county on Long Island, however — Nassau reported 64.2% of students exceeded or met proficiency standards in English, while Suffolk reported 46.3%. About 70% of Nassau students scored proficient or above in math; less than half — 49.3% — of Suffolk students did.

In several Long Island districts where more students performed at the lower end of the spectrum, the results were tempered by positive signs, with some exhibiting significant gains in scores since last year. For instance, in South Country Central, 29.7% of students scored proficient or above in ELA compared with 21.3% the year before.

The reasons for the improvements varied among districts, with some crediting their reading and math curricula and the use of data to identify how students could be best supported during small group-based teaching.

Others noted the implementation of the “Science of Reading” program that Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in early 2024 to boost literacy due to concerns, she said, that children were not meeting "basic reading proficiency levels."

For kindergarten through grade three, this plan includes linking letters to sounds, reading out loud and writing lessons. Some districts also credited a return to phonics instruction as a factor in elevating ELA scores. 

Jaclyn O’Hagan, assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and accountability for the South Country Central School District, said in an email that the district launched a phonics program this school year. She noted that more still needs to be done, however.

"While phonics instruction contributed to the increase in ELA scores, we recognize the need for a more comprehensive approach," O'Hagan said.

The Lawrence school district also rolled out a phonics curriculum, which schools Superintendent Ann Pedersensaid has helped. 

In the 2024-25 assessment, 35.5% of students tested were proficient in ELA compared with 30.4% the prior year.

Pedersen noted that "there are students who still face barriers to meeting state standards."

To address this, she said, "We continue to invest in targeted interventions, multilingual learner supports, ongoing professional development and strategies that enhance family engagement."

Bob Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association, said the region is seeing improvements after learning loss experienced during the pandemic, when schools were closed and instruction was remote.

He singled out increased instruction in ELA as one measure that has helped bring up scores.

“I do know the intervention strategies and the engagement strategies that both the school districts have taken on and what the new state Education Department put out for curriculum supports, professional development, for teachers over the last couple of years is starting to see some results in a very positive manner," Vecchio said.

Socioeconomic challenges

Many of the districts that reported lower proficiency rates tended to be socioeconomically challenged, Vecchio said. These schools serve more diverse populations with more complex needs, including lower-income students, English language learners and special education students, and their populations face higher rates of transiency and homelessness, education experts noted.

“Unfortunately, we often see that districts that have a high proportion of students from multiple backgrounds have lower scores. But it doesn't have to be that way," said Jeff Smink, deputy director at The Education Trust-New York, an education policy and advocacy group based in Manhattan. "The research is clear that most students can do well when they get the right support. … I think in Long Island, it's really doubling down and figuring out how to support multi-language learners, Latinx students."

Wyandanch schools Superintendent Erik Wright said in an email that scores in his district improved by having teachers use data to tailor instruction “to the needs of their students through small groups, push-in support and whole-class learning.”

The percentage of Wyandanch students who scored proficient in ELA increased from 24.2% to 25.9%. Math proficiency scores were not available.

Wright said that “a substantial percentage” of young students are still falling below grade-level standards. By grade three, some are “still learning to read whereas they should be reading to learn,” he said.

To address these challenges, he said the district received training on the skills outlined in “Science of Reading” in the spring. He said the I-Ready instructional program in ELA and math is also used as a “diagnostic and progress monitoring tool.”

The district is also rolling out new plans to provide "academic and/or behavioral support,” he added.

Brentwood students, meanwhile, saw a 7.6-point jump in ELA proficiency, from 24.8% to 32.4%. In math, the percentage of students who scored proficient went up about 3 points.

Superintendent Wanda Ortiz-Rivera noted that many district students are English language learners who are still “developing full academic proficiency.”

But she attributed their progress to several factors, including the Graduation PLUS+ core strategic plan to prepare students to enter the workforce with critical skills or continue post-secondary education. She said the district also hired reading and math interventionists and expanded its academic intervention services at the secondary level, and rolled out Saturday academies for additional instruction.

Ortiz-Rivera also credited systemwide upgrades and the "dedication of our teachers, the leadership of our coordinators [and] the alignment work of the CAC,” referring to the district's Curriculum Advisory Council, which makes curriculum recommendations.

“Our work moving forward is focused on strengthening alignment, deepening early literacy and language supports and ensuring that every student — regardless of where they begin — has a clear pathway to proficiency and beyond,” she said.

In Central Islip, 32% of students tested scored proficient or above in English — a 5.3 percentage point improvement from the year prior. Math scores rose by about 1 point.

Jessica Iafrate, Central Islip's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said in a statement the gains were due to the district's “efforts to streamline programs, strengthen instructional alignment and use data more effectively to target skill gaps during small-group instruction.” But noting that a significant number of students still fell below the standards, she pointed to "chronic absenteeism and high transiency" as hindering progress.

"To address these challenges, we are improving attendance systems, supporting highly mobile students and using a districtwide data protocol to guide targeted interventions," she said.

Fewer opt-outs

Student participation in testing has increased since the opt-out movement first started in 2013, Newsday has reported. 

On Long Island, 31.1% of students opted out of the ELA test in 2025 compared with 36.5% last year and about 41% in 2023.

Some experts noted all eligible students need to take the tests or scores could mask academic gaps. 

“If you don't have 100% of your kids taking the test, those results are just not reliable,” said Amy Catalano, interim dean of Hofstra University’s School of Education and professor of teaching, learning and technology.

The average per-pupil spending on Long Island is $39,156 for the 2025-26 school year, higher than the state’s average of $34,859, Newsday previously reported. 

And per-pupil spending in New York is the highest in the nation, according to a January report from the Citizens Budget Commission.

Some have questioned whether this high level of spending has translated into a better education for Long Island students.

Andrea Vecchio, a regional taxpayer advocate from East Islip who has no relation to Bob Vecchio, said in an email that more money will not help boost scores.

But Smink, from The Education Trust-New York, said it’s a matter of adopting the right approach. 

“It’s not about funding, but it's more about, how do we make sure that kids are getting evidence-based, high-quality instruction in reading and math. New York doesn't require a lot of that. We're always pushing to make sure that districts are giving students what they need and making sure they're getting evidence-based instruction,” Smink said.

The state Education Department, in a release announcing the latest test scores, said the data shows that its initiatives are having an impact.

“This data tells a clear story: when educators have strong training, aligned curriculum and consistent support, students benefit," Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said. "Our professional development efforts, literacy initiatives and curriculum guidance are working, and we see that reflected in classrooms across the state."