Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Dawnwood Middle School

Q: Is Dawnwood Middle School a good school?

Dawnwood Middle School ranks 1053 rd of 1500 New York middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1053^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,500 New York Middle Schools

Better than 30% of New York middle schools

Summary

Dawnwood Middle School is a public middle school located in Centereach, New York, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 1,020 students. The school is part of the Middle Country Central School District, which is ranked 740 out of 874 school districts in New York and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Dawnwood Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of New York middle schools, with a ranking between 613 and 1,058 over the past 10 years. The school's performance on state assessments is generally below the state and district averages, with proficiency rates in ELA ranging from 35.85% to 47.22% and in math from 40% to 49.47%, compared to the state averages of 50.86% to 52.38% and 51.2% to 56.47%, respectively. However, the school's performance on Regents exams, such as Algebra I and Living Environment, is stronger, with proficiency rates exceeding the state and district averages.

Dawnwood Middle School's performance is generally lower than the nearby Selden Middle School, which is also part of the Middle Country Central School District. However, Dawnwood outperforms some other nearby schools, such as John F. Kennedy Middle School (Brookhaven-Comsewogue Union Free School District) and the Sachem Central School District's middle schools (Seneca and Sagamore). The higher-performing schools in the Smithtown Central School District and Three Village Central School District, such as Nesaquake Middle School and Robert Cushman Murphy Junior High School, are significantly outperforming Dawnwood Middle School.

967

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$30,188

Per pupil spending ?

47.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

10 43rd St
Centereach, NY 11720-2366

(631) 285-8200

District: Middle Country Central School District

Students who attend Dawnwood Middle School usually attend:

High:

Centereach High School

Feeder schools for Dawnwood Middle School:

Elementary:	Eugene Auer Memorial School
	Holbrook Road School
	Oxhead Road School
	Unity Drive Kindergarten-Pre K Center
Alternative:	Jericho Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

44.7%

Hispanic:

37.4%

Asian:

7.1%

See top rated New York middle schools

Compare Dawnwood Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 59th percentile in 2015 → 30th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 29 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!English Language Arts scores 12 pts below the New York average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school57%

District avg53%

New York avg54%

1,053^rd of 1,500

New York public middle schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 29 pts since 2015

From top 41% (2015) to bottom 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New York Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Middle Country Central School District

740^th of 874Middle Country Central School District among New York districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	32.7	1053 of 1500	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.9	1058 of 1504	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.5	882 of 1500	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.5	821 of 1479	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.2	847 of 1242	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.1	734 of 1439	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.8	973 of 1438	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	43.7	805 of 1455	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	52.9	613 of 1429	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	54.2	583 of 1407	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	55.4	551 of 1401	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	72.7	303 of 1373	77.9%	★★★★☆
2012	73.4	351 of 1337	73.7%	★★★★☆
2011	71.5	393 of 1295	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	73.4	347 of 1243	72.1%	★★★★☆
2009	72.4	367 of 1224	70.0%	★★★★☆
2008	72.1	369 of 1185	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	74.2	293 of 1123	73.9%	★★★★☆
2006	72.8	312 of 1095	71.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	37.9	433 of 676	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.4	517 of 705	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.8	376 of 696	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.7	168 of 663	74.7%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	18.7	356 of 406	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.5	324 of 396	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.8	317 of 381	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.0	272 of 369	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.4	316 of 374	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	34.1	457 of 646	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.6	534 of 615	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.5	513 of 591	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.5	567 of 581	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.2	84 of 118	28.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.0	368 of 473	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.8	299 of 503	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	33.2	1058 of 1457	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.8	1126 of 1465	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.0	964 of 1463	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.9	872 of 1454	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.5	649 of 1066	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.5	731 of 1370	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.6	938 of 1353	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	31.0	715 of 965	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	838 of 953	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.8	737 of 943	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.1	739 of 914	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.8	414 of 449	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	28.4	625 of 826	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	720 of 810	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	27.2	1019 of 1283	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.4	1120 of 1296	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.2	958 of 1288	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.1	957 of 1306	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.1	718 of 935	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.1	778 of 1241	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.6	1006 of 1245	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	34.6	993 of 1455	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.0	906 of 1464	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.7	719 of 1464	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.4	689 of 1455	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	30.3	786 of 1071	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.2	650 of 1366	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	36.2	876 of 1352	35.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	32.0	922 of 1298	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.0	941 of 1303	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.4	1017 of 1307	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.5	988 of 1283	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.9	939 of 1139	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.0	1077 of 1170	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	26.9	617 of 775	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.8	490 of 778	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.3	415 of 772	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.3	369 of 748	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.4	297 of 614	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.4	543 of 716	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.4	667 of 763	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2025)36th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)32nd percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)29th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)29th percentile~ school

Female (2025)27th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)26th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)21st percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)20th percentile-9 vs school

Asian (2025)12th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs New York (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I75%+19 vs state

Life Science Biology60%~ state avg

Math45%-9 vs state

English Language Arts39%-12 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Dawnwood Middle School and help other families decide.

Rate Dawnwood Middle School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Dawnwood Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Regents Common Core Algebra II (2025)	Regents Common Core Geometry (2025)	Regents Earth Science (2025)	Regents Living Environment (2025)	Regents Algebra I (2025)	Regents Life Science Biology (2025)	Regents Geometry (2025)	NY State Assessments English Language Arts (2025)			NY State Assessments Math (2025)			NY State Assessments Science (2025)	% Completely Immunized (2020)	% Polio (2020)	% Measles (2020)	% Mumps (2020)	% Rubella (2020)	% Diphtheria (2020)	% Hepatitis B (2020)	% Varicella (2020)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Regents Common Core Algebra II End of Course	Regents Common Core Geometry End of Course	Regents Earth Science End of Course	Regents Living Environment End of Course	Regents Algebra I End of Course	Regents Life Science Biology End of Course	Regents Geometry End of Course	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 6th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 7th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 8th Grade	NY State Assessments Science 8th Grade	% Completely Immunized All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Diphtheria All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dawnwood Middle School	Public	6-8	10 43rd St	Centereach	11720	Suffolk County	Middle Country Central School District	No	No	No	No	(631) 285-8200	967	70	13.8	47.1%	432 (44.7%)	64 (6.6%)	362 (37.4%)	69 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (4.0%)	32.7	1053^rd of 1500 public middle schools	29.8%		32.9	1058^th of 1504 public middle schools	29.7%	5					75.0	60.5		36.4	35.9	47.2	49.5	40.0			98.7	99.3	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.5	99.5	99.4	$30,188	$648	$29,541
Selden Middle School	Public	6-9	22 Jefferson Ave	Centereach	11720	Suffolk County	Middle Country Central School District	No	No	No	No	(631) 285-8400	1,080	75	14.4	51.5%	443 (41.0%)	85 (7.9%)	409 (37.9%)	108 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (3.2%)	21.7	1286^th of 1500 public middle schools	14.3%		26.5	1177^th of 1504 public middle schools	21.7%	109					76.4	69.7		34.2	25.6	34.0	30.6	45.9			95.2	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.6	95.2	99.9	99.4	$28,414	$657	$27,757
Robert Cushman Murphy Junior High School	Public	7-9	351 Oxhead Rd	Stony Brook	11790	Suffolk County	Three Village Central School District	No	No	No	No	(631) 730-4800	655	65	10.0	21.2%	388 (59.2%)	18 (2.7%)	96 (14.7%)	123 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.6%)	66.2	448^th of 1500 public middle schools	70.1%		68.6	395^th of 1504 public middle schools	73.7%	53	100.0	100.0	96.9	99.0	94.3				63.8	63.9		65.7	27.9	42.6	98.9	99.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.0	99.9	100.0	$42,018	$554	$41,464
Samoset Middle School	Public	6-8	51 School St	Lake Ronkonkoma	11779	Suffolk County	Sachem Central School District	No	No	No	No	(631) 471-1700	847	84	10.0	39.4%	500 (59.0%)	44 (5.2%)	200 (23.6%)	71 (8.4%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	27 (3.2%)	46.3	791^st of 1500 public middle schools	47.3%		47	770^th of 1504 public middle schools	48.8%	21			99.0		100.0			52.0	42.7	43.4	47.3	63.4	26.1	36.8	99.6	99.8	99.9	99.9	99.9	99.8	100.0	99.8	$32,409	$628	$31,782
John F Kennedy Middle School	Public	6-8	200 Jayne Blvd	Port Jefferson Station	11776	Suffolk County	Brookhaven-Comsewogue Union Free School District	No	No	No	Yes	(631) 474-8160	814	79	10.2	31.8%	411 (50.5%)	31 (3.8%)	319 (39.2%)	25 (3.1%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (2.8%)	10.5	1422^nd of 1500 public middle schools	5.2%		25.3	1207^th of 1504 public middle schools	19.7%	215				100.0	98.7			27.2	23.8	26.4	22.6	22.5	24.2	10.9	98.6	99.4	99.9	99.9	99.9	99.5	99.7	99.7	$32,395	$338	$32,057
Sagamore Middle School	Public	6-8	57 Division St	Holtsville	11742	Suffolk County	Sachem Central School District	No	No	No	No	(631) 696-8600	893	88	10.1	37.7%	489 (54.8%)	41 (4.6%)	272 (30.5%)	53 (5.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	35 (3.9%)	45.1	806^th of 1500 public middle schools	46.3%		54.2	637^th of 1504 public middle schools	57.6%	169			99.1		100.0			27.7	41.0	52.3	44.8	66.3	65.6	48.3	98.4	99.3	99.8	99.8	99.8	100.0	99.6	99.5	$31,620	$628	$30,992
Great Hollow Middle School	Public	6-8	150 Southern Blvd	Nesconset	11767	Suffolk County	Smithtown Central School District	No	No	No	No	(631) 382-2805	750	73	10.2	17.2%	524 (69.9%)	20 (2.7%)	106 (14.1%)	78 (10.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.8%)	75.8	309^th of 1500 public middle schools	79.4%		71	356^th of 1504 public middle schools	76.3%	47					100.0	100.0		64.6	59.5	64.2	72.6	75.0	40.0	56.0	98.7	99.1	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.3	99.3	99.5	$37,466	$814	$36,652
Port Jefferson Middle School	Public	6-8	350 Old Post Rd	Port Jefferson	11777	Suffolk County	Port Jefferson Union Free School District	No	No	No	Yes	(631) 791-4431	224	24	9.2	18.3%	153 (68.3%)	10 (4.5%)	38 (17.0%)	14 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.0%)	80.9	246^th of 1500 public middle schools	83.6%		77.5	266^th of 1504 public middle schools	82.3%	20			100.0		100.0			68.2	80.0	58.6	71.4	82.2	33.3	58.3	99.2	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.6	100.0	$67,745	$160	$67,585
Nesaquake Middle School	Public	6-8	479 Edgewood Ave	Saint James	11780	Suffolk County	Smithtown Central School District	No	No	No	No	(631) 382-5105	466	46	10.0	15.0%	380 (81.5%)	3 (0.6%)	45 (9.7%)	18 (3.9%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.6%)	73.8	333^rd of 1500 public middle schools	77.8%		72.7	336^th of 1504 public middle schools	77.7%	3					100.0	100.0		65.5	54.3	64.7	62.4	76.4	66.7	45.5	97.9	98.6	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.3	99.3	99.6	$40,420	$36	$40,384
Paul J Gelinas Junior High School	Public	7-9	25 Mud Rd	Setauket	11733	Suffolk County	Three Village Central School District	No	No	No	No	(631) 730-4700	651	62	10.4	12.4%	487 (74.8%)	6 (0.9%)	50 (7.7%)	72 (11.1%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.8%)	85.5	180^th of 1500 public middle schools	88.0%		88.7	148^th of 1504 public middle schools	90.2%	32	100.0		94.4	99.2	98.0		99.1		79.6	72.3		80.2	43.6	68.6	98.5	98.9	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.1	99.5	99.7	$41,367	$515	$40,852

Frequently Asked Questions about Dawnwood Middle School

Is Dawnwood Middle School a good school?

Dawnwood Middle School ranks 1053^rd of 1500 New York middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Dawnwood Middle School in?

Middle Country Central School District

What high school do graduates of Dawnwood Middle School attend?

Students who attend Dawnwood Middle School usually go on to attend Centereach High School

What is the racial makeup of Dawnwood Middle School?

Students at Dawnwood Middle School are 45% White, 37% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 7% African American, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Dawnwood Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 967 students attended Dawnwood Middle School.

Rate Dawnwood Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NYNew York Middle School Rankings

NYNew York District Rankings

Schools in Centereach, NY

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Dawnwood Middle School!

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the WNYC and the New York State Department of Health and the NY State Education Department.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.