State test scores and chronic absenteeism at local schools

The latest available data shows varying performance on state tests for K-8 students in the Goshen, Chester and Port Jervis school districts – with some grades struggling to meet state averages for proficiency exams in ELA, math and science. Chronic absenteeism remains high at all three school districts, but has come down slightly from post-pandemic peaks.

Scroll right on the charts below to see how local schools stack up.

Chronic absenteeism has surged statewide since the COVID-19 pandemic. Students defined as “chronically” absent miss 10% or more school days, which amounts to 18 or more annual absences. New York State started tracking this metric in the 2017-2018 school year. There is no available data for the 2019-2020 year due to remote learning during the pandemic.

With the exception of grade 4, Chester students met or exceeded the state average for these tests. Goshen students in third and fourth grade scored below the state average, while other grades in the district met or exceeded the benchmark. Port Jervis students scored below the state average across all grade levels. 16% of Goshen students, 10% of Chester students and 15% of Port Jervis students opted out of these exams.

Goshen and Port Jervis students scored below the state average across all grade levels. Only grades three and six in Chester exceeded the state average. 17% of Goshen students, 11% of Chester students and 15% of Port Jervis students opted out of these exams.

In both Goshen and Port Jervis, eighth grade students met or exceeded the state average on the state-administered science exam, but fifth graders fell below the benchmark. The opposite happened in Chester, where fifth graders beat the state average, but eighth graders fell short. 17% of Goshen students, 15% of Chester students and 18% of Port Jervis students opted out of these exams.