Hammond Central School

Hammond Central School is an alternative public school serving grades PK-12 in Hammond, New York, with 228 students. While the school has a graduation rate around 84-86% in recent years, it faces several key challenges, including high chronic absenteeism, below-average test scores, and a high proportion of economically disadvantaged students.

Hammond Central School's chronic absenteeism rates have been significantly higher than the state average, ranging from 14-34% in recent years. This is a major concern, as it likely impacts student learning and achievement. Additionally, the school's performance on state assessments in English Language Arts and Math is generally below the state average, sometimes by a substantial margin. However, the school performs relatively well on Regents exams, suggesting it may be more effective in preparing students for those assessments compared to the state assessments.

Comparing Hammond Central School to the nearby Hermon-Dekalb Central School and Heuvelton Central School, the three schools have similar graduation rates, dropout rates, and chronic absenteeism levels. However, Hermon-Dekalb and Heuvelton generally outperform Hammond Central on state assessments, particularly in Math. Additionally, Heuvelton has a lower percentage of economically disadvantaged students (43%) compared to Hammond (50-62%) and Hermon-Dekalb (57%), which may contribute to their stronger academic performance. Despite these challenges, Hammond Central School's relatively high spending per student ($23,000-$41,000) suggests the potential for more targeted academic interventions and support to address the gaps in state assessment outcomes.