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Ward Melville Senior High School

Public Grades 9-12

54^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,234 New York High Schools

Better than 96% of New York high schools

Summary

Ward Melville Senior High School is a highly-ranked public high school serving grades 9-12 in East Setauket, New York, part of the Three Village Central School District. With consistently strong academic performance, the school has been ranked among the top high schools in New York state for several years, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ward Melville's students consistently outperform state averages on Regents exams across a wide range of subjects, with over 90% proficiency rates in key areas like Chemistry, Algebra II, and U.S. History. The school also excels in supporting the academic achievement of diverse student subgroups, often ranking in the top 10-50 schools in the state for female, Asian, African American, and English Language Learner students. Additionally, Ward Melville maintains high graduation rates, low dropout rates, and a relatively low student-teacher ratio compared to nearby schools like Rocky Point High School, Sachem High School North, and Sachem High School East.

The school's strong academic performance is likely supported by its relatively high per-student spending of $41,024, which is significantly higher than the state average and many of the surrounding schools. This level of funding allows Ward Melville to offer a robust curriculum, hire highly qualified teachers, and provide extensive academic and extracurricular resources for its students, contributing to its status as an exceptional public high school in the region.

1,442

Students ?

10.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$41,865

Per pupil spending ?

15.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

380 Old Town Rd
East Setauket, NY 11733-3499

(631) 730-4900

District: Three Village Central School District

Feeder schools for Ward Melville Senior High School:

Elementary:	Arrowhead Elementary School
	Minnesauke Elementary School
	Nassakeag Elementary School
	Setauket Elementary School
	More...
	William Sidney Mount Elementary School
Middle:	Paul J Gelinas Junior High School
	Robert Cushman Murphy Junior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.2%

Asian:

15.8%

Hispanic:

9.8%

See top rated New York high schools

Compare Ward Melville Senior High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 73rd percentile in 2015 → 96th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New York average (93% vs 67% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 4% of New York high schools

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the New York average (83%)

Worth a look

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

!Earth Science scores 26 pts below the New York average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school93%

District avg94%

New York avg67%

54^th of 1,234

New York public high schools ?

Top 4%▲ up 23 pts since 2015

From top 27% (2015) to top 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New York High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

157^th of 874Three Village 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	85.2	54 of 1234	95.6%	★★★★★
2024	83.7	56 of 1242	95.5%	★★★★★
2023	82.3	80 of 1228	93.5%	★★★★★
2022	82.3	68 of 1190	94.3%	★★★★★
2021	82.5	25 of 519	95.2%	★★★★★
2019	79.4	110 of 1207	90.9%	★★★★★
2018	78.6	117 of 1210	90.3%	★★★★★
2017	80.6	101 of 1221	91.7%	★★★★★
2016	63.3	368 of 1255	70.7%	★★★★☆
2015	64.9	343 of 1255	72.7%	★★★★☆
2014	77.4	94 of 1237	92.4%	★★★★★
2013	78.0	130 of 1217	89.3%	★★★★☆
2012	69.2	328 of 1198	72.6%	★★★★☆
2011	70.3	245 of 1165	79.0%	★★★★☆
2010	61.7	429 of 1117	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.7	328 of 1086	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	61.6	434 of 1027	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	66.7	281 of 1002	72.0%	★★★★☆
2006	62.3	383 of 986	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	60.6	392 of 935	58.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	94.3	6 of 713	99.2%	★★★★★
2024	92.6	10 of 690	98.6%	★★★★★
2023	95.7	6 of 671	99.1%	★★★★★
2022	79.6	70 of 593	88.2%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	79.5	36 of 413	91.3%	★★★★★
2024	78.9	35 of 426	91.8%	★★★★★
2023	78.7	45 of 424	89.4%	★★★★☆
2022	79.1	31 of 386	92.0%	★★★★★
2019	77.8	33 of 447	92.6%	★★★★★
2018	77.5	38 of 426	91.1%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	86.3	33 of 669	95.1%	★★★★★
2024	48.9	279 of 637	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	96.8	7 of 583	98.8%	★★★★★
2022	62.5	107 of 481	77.8%	★★★★☆
2018	94.5	11 of 546	98.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	86.9	39 of 1206	96.8%	★★★★★
2024	84.3	43 of 1219	96.5%	★★★★★
2023	83.7	61 of 1197	94.9%	★★★★★
2022	81.5	80 of 1155	93.1%	★★★★★
2019	78.8	130 of 1193	89.1%	★★★★☆
2018	78.5	109 of 1176	90.7%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	75.9	150 of 885	83.1%	★★★★☆
2024	78.4	113 of 865	86.9%	★★★★☆
2023	80.8	95 of 851	88.8%	★★★★☆
2022	83.9	55 of 760	92.8%	★★★★★
2019	76.1	136 of 815	83.3%	★★★★☆
2018	74.2	146 of 791	81.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	78.7	103 of 1179	91.3%	★★★★★
2024	75.4	138 of 1170	88.2%	★★★★☆
2023	72.7	178 of 1155	84.6%	★★★★☆
2022	72.1	156 of 1101	85.8%	★★★★☆
2019	70.7	202 of 1179	82.9%	★★★★☆
2018	65.5	278 of 1154	75.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	82.4	93 of 1201	92.3%	★★★★★
2024	82.0	88 of 1211	92.7%	★★★★★
2023	80.9	97 of 1191	91.9%	★★★★★
2022	82.1	57 of 1154	95.1%	★★★★★
2021	84.3	13 of 354	96.3%	★★★★★
2019	78.5	118 of 1190	90.1%	★★★★★
2018	77.3	131 of 1176	88.9%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	72.7	68 of 328	79.3%	★★★★☆
2024	73.0	66 of 306	78.4%	★★★★☆
2023	83.9	13 of 272	95.2%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	79.5	145 of 1149	87.4%	★★★★☆
2024	79.3	156 of 1144	86.4%	★★★★☆
2023	76.0	170 of 1130	85.0%	★★★★☆
2022	77.1	142 of 1038	86.3%	★★★★☆
2021	77.6	23 of 137	83.2%	★★★★☆
2019	73.8	227 of 1132	79.9%	★★★★☆
2018	70.2	232 of 1095	78.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	78.9	57 of 788	92.8%	★★★★★
2024	77.0	62 of 781	92.1%	★★★★★
2023	73.0	119 of 776	84.7%	★★★★☆
2022	74.3	93 of 738	87.4%	★★★★☆
2019	73.1	106 of 793	86.6%	★★★★☆
2018	71.7	124 of 765	83.8%	★★★★☆

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)99th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)97th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)95th percentile~ school

White (2025)93rd percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)92nd percentile-3 vs school

Asian (2025)91st percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)91st percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)87th percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)83rd percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)79th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs New York (2024-2025) ?

U.S. History and Government98%+23 vs state

Common Core Algebra II97%+22 vs state

Global History and Geography96%+20 vs state

Common Core English Language Arts94%+19 vs state

Chemistry93%+28 vs state

Physics89%+20 vs state

Common Core Geometry86%+63 vs state

Living Environment83%+27 vs state

Algebra I56%~ state avg

Earth Science39%-26 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Tuesday, May 10, 2022

This school is full of drugs, racism, and misdirected priorities. I am extremely disappointed in the way this school treats their students and what they take seriously. In my years of attending this school, I’ve seen things go on that had caused me trauma. This school disregards the real issues like mental health, student conflicts, sexism, homophobia, drug abuse and especially racism. There are NUMEROUS security guards in the school and the students are still not safe. They prioritize calling students out on meaningless things like hoodies and wearing certain forms of masks and harass them constantly in the hallways. The security guards can track down students that wear hoodies or headphones but can’t track down when a student is in need of help. If you are a person of color, parents of the lgbt community and you are thinking of making your child attend this school because of the high level education, DONT! No matter how good they say this school is, your child’s mental health will deteriorate. They may bring in therapy dogs in for a day to show support for the students but the next day they will go back to only caring about their reputation. I am ashamed to be an alumni of this high school! PLEASE take the one star reviews seriously because this is something I know FIRSTHAND! Close Quote

Schools Near Ward Melville Senior High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Regents Chemistry (2025)	Regents Common Core Algebra II (2025)	Regents Common Core English Language Arts (2025)	Regents Common Core Geometry (2025)	Regents Earth Science (2025)	Regents Global History and Geography (2025)	Regents Living Environment (2025)	Regents Physics (2025)	Regents U.S. History and Government (2025)	Regents Algebra I (2025)	Regents Geometry (2025)	Regents Earth and Space Sciences (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 Chemistry End of Course	Regents Common Core Algebra II End of Course	Regents Common Core English Language Arts End of Course	Regents Common Core Geometry End of Course	Regents Earth Science End of Course	Regents Global History and Geography End of Course	Regents Living Environment End of Course	Regents Physics End of Course	Regents U.S. History and Government End of Course	Regents Algebra I End of Course	Regents Geometry End of Course	Regents Earth and Space Sciences End of Course	% 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
Ward Melville Senior High School	Public	9-12	380 Old Town Rd	East Setauket	11733	Suffolk County	Three Village Central School District	No	No	No	No	(631) 730-4900	1,442	138	10.4	15.7%	998 (69.2%)	36 (2.5%)	141 (9.8%)	228 (15.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (2.6%)	85.2	54^th of 1234 public high schools	95.6%		83.7	56^th of 1242 public high schools	95.5%	2	92.7	97.2	94.0	86.4	38.9	95.8	83.4	88.7	98.5	56.2			97.1	99.5	99.3	99.3	99.3	99.6	99.5	97.8	$41,865	$474	$41,392
Earl L Vandermeulen High School	Public	9-12	350 Old Post Rd	Port Jefferson	11777	Suffolk County	Port Jefferson Union Free School District	No	No	No	No	(631) 791-4421	313	35	8.9	15.0%	237 (75.7%)	8 (2.6%)	36 (11.5%)	25 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.2%)	80	150^th of 1234 public high schools	87.8%		79.9	126^th of 1242 public high schools	89.9%	24	85.3	83.3	94.1	50.0	95.1	91.6	94.8	53.3	89.7	78.3	76.9		99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	99.4	$116,055	$274	$115,781
Comsewogue High School	Public	9-12	565 Bicycle Path	Port Jefferson Station	11776	Suffolk County	Brookhaven-Comsewogue Union Free School District	No	No	No	Yes	(631) 474-8182	1,160	92	12.5	27.9%	602 (51.9%)	66 (5.7%)	424 (36.6%)	42 (3.6%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (2.1%)	69.3	350^th of 1234 public high schools	71.6%		62.8	476^th of 1242 public high schools	61.7%	126	56.1	90.9	91.4	18.4	82.1	86.1	77.0	45.5	89.2	64.0	62.3		98.2	98.8	99.8	99.8	100.0	98.7	99.0	99.8	$31,179	$324	$30,855
Centereach High School	Public	8-12	14 43rd St	Centereach	11720	Suffolk County	Middle Country Central School District	No	No	No	No	(631) 285-8100	1,467	107	13.6	43.3%	745 (50.8%)	89 (6.1%)	475 (32.4%)	117 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	39 (2.7%)	60.4	504^th of 1234 public high schools	59.2%		67.1	404^th of 1242 public high schools	67.5%	100	74.5	93.0	85.5	20.7	14.0	83.2	51.5	90.0	88.2	45.2	61.6	41.4	99.1	99.1	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.2	99.3	99.5	$29,171	$657	$28,514
Robert M Grable Junior Mount Sinai High School	Public	9-12	110 N Country Rd	Mount Sinai	11766	Suffolk County	Mount Sinai Union Free School District	No	No	No	Yes	(631) 870-2800	710	65	10.9	12.3%	524 (73.8%)	9 (1.3%)	100 (14.1%)	63 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	13 (1.8%)	88.5	23^rd of 1234 public high schools	98.1%		84.7	40^th of 1242 public high schools	96.8%	17	89.3	99.2	96.5	40.0	88.7	98.1	94.0	80.0	98.8	97.1	97.2		99.2	99.4	99.7	99.7	99.7	100.0	100.0	99.9	$31,514	$606	$30,908
Newfield High School	Public	9-12	145 Marshall Dr	Selden	11784	Suffolk County	Middle Country Central School District	No	No	No	No	(631) 285-8300	1,553	104	14.9	45.1%	693 (44.6%)	144 (9.3%)	512 (33.0%)	154 (9.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (3.2%)	57.8	545^th of 1234 public high schools	55.8%		61.7	494^th of 1242 public high schools	60.2%	51	45.5	79.5	86.7	29.2	20.7	85.6	44.9	77.8	86.0	36.3	61.5	51.0	99.1	99.2	99.9	99.9	99.9	99.7	99.5	99.9	$26,581	$637	$25,944
Miller Place High School	Public	9-12	15 Memorial Dr	Miller Place	11764	Suffolk County	Miller Place Union Free School District	No	No	No	Yes	(631) 474-2723	764	67	11.4	20.0%	617 (80.8%)	20 (2.6%)	92 (12.0%)	22 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.6%)	79	165^th of 1234 public high schools	86.6%		77.8	174^th of 1242 public high schools	86.0%	9	80.8	94.4	91.5	25.0	53.2	91.4	88.5	64.4	93.6	76.0	92.4		99.3	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.8	99.8	99.5	$34,211	$170	$34,041
Sachem High School North	Public	9-12	212 Smith Rd	Lake Ronkonkoma	11779	Suffolk County	Sachem Central School District	No	No	No	No	(631) 471-1400	2,008	163	12.3	33.8%	1,247 (62.1%)	102 (5.1%)	454 (22.6%)	126 (6.3%)	6 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (3.6%)	64.5	422^nd of 1234 public high schools	65.8%		64.9	439^th of 1242 public high schools	64.7%	17	76.5	86.0	86.9	39.6	53.1	87.6	80.1	39.4	89.7	44.9	59.2		99.4	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.8	99.7	99.7	$29,522	$627	$28,896
Smithtown High School East	Public	9-12	10 School St	Saint James	11780	Suffolk County	Smithtown Central School District	No	No	No	No	(631) 382-2705	1,403	124	11.3	14.8%	1,059 (75.5%)	22 (1.6%)	153 (10.9%)	139 (9.9%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	25 (1.8%)	81.5	123^rd of 1234 public high schools	90.0%		80.9	108^th of 1242 public high schools	91.3%	15	86.7	94.2	94.5	41.4	86.1	97.0	84.6	64.3	95.2	65.3	81.8		99.5	99.9	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.9	99.9	99.8	$35,568	$513	$35,055
Sachem High School East	Public	9-12	177 Granny Rd	Farmingville	11738	Suffolk County	Sachem Central School District	No	No	No	Yes	(631) 716-8200	1,984	154	12.8	34.1%	1,246 (62.8%)	92 (4.6%)	474 (23.9%)	111 (5.6%)	6 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	51 (2.6%)	69.9	332^nd of 1234 public high schools	73.1%		67.8	384^th of 1242 public high schools	69.1%	52	75.3	87.5	88.5	40.0	61.1	84.2	87.9	76.9	83.7	60.8	69.7		99.3	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.6	99.7	99.6	99.7	$29,550	$627	$28,923

Frequently Asked Questions about Ward Melville Senior High School

What is the racial makeup of Ward Melville Senior High School?

Students at Ward Melville Senior High School are 69% White, 16% Asian, 10% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Is Ward Melville Senior High School a good school?

Yes! Ward Melville Senior High School is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 54^th of 1234 New York high schools.

What schools feed into Ward Melville Senior High School?

Ward Melville Senior High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Arrowhead Elementary School
Elementary : Minnesauke Elementary School
Elementary : Nassakeag Elementary School
Elementary : Setauket Elementary School
Elementary : William Sidney Mount Elementary School
Middle : Paul J Gelinas Junior High School
Middle : Robert Cushman Murphy Junior High School

What district is Ward Melville Senior High School in?

Three Village Central School District

How many students attend Ward Melville Senior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,442 students attended Ward Melville Senior High School.

Rate Ward Melville Senior High School!

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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.