Is Candlewood Middle School a good school?

Candlewood Middle School ranks 253 rd of 1504 New York middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Candlewood Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 738 students attended Candlewood Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Candlewood Middle School?

Students at Candlewood Middle School are 39% White, 22% Asian, 16% Hispanic, 16% African American, 7% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Candlewood Middle School attend?

Students who attend Candlewood Middle School usually go on to attend Half Hollow Hills High School West

Candlewood Middle School

Summary:

Candlewood Middle School is a high-performing public middle school serving grades 6-8 in Dix Hills, New York, part of the Half Hollow Hills Central School District. With 719 students, Candlewood consistently ranks among the top middle schools in New York, outperforming state and district averages in academic proficiency.

Candlewood Middle School's key strengths include exceptional performance on Regents exams, with 100% proficiency rates in Earth Science and Algebra I, as well as strong academic achievement across different student subgroups. The school's high spending per student ($36,357) and low student-teacher ratio (10.7) suggest a significant investment in resources and staffing that likely contributes to its success. When compared to nearby middle schools, such as Milton L Olive Middle School and West Hollow Middle School, Candlewood generally outperforms its peers in academic performance.

While Candlewood Middle School excels overall, the school's relatively lower performance for English Language Learners and students with disabilities may indicate a need to further strengthen support and interventions for these student populations. Nevertheless, Candlewood's consistent high performance, effective resource allocation, and commitment to equity make it a standout institution in the region, serving as a model for other middle schools in the Half Hollow Hills Central School District and beyond.

Detail:

Public 6-8

1200 Carlls Straight Path
Dix Hills, NY 11746-8099

(631) 592-3300

District: Half Hollow Hills Central School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
253^rd of 1,504 New York Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $36,357

Students who attend Candlewood Middle School usually attend:

High:

Half Hollow Hills High School West

Feeder schools for Candlewood Middle School:

Elementary:	Otsego Elementary School
	Vanderbilt Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 10.0

Number of students: 738

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.9%

Asian:

22.4%

Hispanic:

16.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 23.3%

See top rated New York middle schools

Compare Candlewood Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Candlewood Middle School ranks better than 83.2% of middle schools in New York. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 78.43. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Candlewood Middle School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (38.9%), Asian (22.4%), Hispanic (16.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 23.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Candlewood Middle School is 10. (See more...)

Compare Candlewood Middle School employs 73.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Candlewood Middle School is $36,357.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Candlewood Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Candlewood Middle School 253^rd of 1504 New York public middle schools. (See Candlewood Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Half Hollow Hills Central School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Half Hollow Hills Central School District 137^th of 865 New York school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Candlewood Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Candlewood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2006	90.04	52^nd	1095	95.3%
2007	87.17	74^th	1123	93.4%
2008	84.66	92^nd	1185	92.2%
2009	80.66	151^st	1224	87.7%
2010	86.33	105^th	1243	91.6%
2011	86.42	127^th	1295	90.2%
2012	85.77	137^th	1337	89.8%
2013	91.51	81^st	1373	94.1%
2014	86.12	126^th	1401	91.0%
2015	89.78	94^th	1407	93.3%
2016	84.85	150^th	1429	89.5%
2017	87.33	142^nd	1455	90.2%
2018	86.91	143^rd	1438	90.1%
2019	85.91	169^th	1439	88.3%
2021	83.82	145^th	1242	88.3%
2022	82.61	198^th	1479	86.6%
2023	75.43	311^th	1500	79.3%
2024	78.43	253^rd	1504	83.2%

See the entire list of New York Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Candlewood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	81.34	36^th	208	82.7%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Candlewood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	44.87	255^th	591	56.9%
2024	25.76	559^th	615	9.1%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Candlewood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	71.58	156^th	1170	86.7%
2019	71.52	158^th	1139	86.1%
2021	68.39	93^rd	522	82.2%
2022	62.31	283^rd	1283	77.9%
2023	54.22	435^th	1307	66.7%
2024	50.90	493^rd	1303	62.2%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Candlewood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	74.54	220^th	1245	82.3%
2019	76.28	216^th	1241	82.6%
2021	74.39	163^rd	935	82.6%
2022	71.79	246^th	1306	81.2%
2023	66.76	316^th	1288	75.5%
2024	62.76	385^th	1296	70.3%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Candlewood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	87.08	131^st	1353	90.3%
2019	88.04	125^th	1370	90.9%
2021	80.93	148^th	1066	86.1%
2022	80.54	207^th	1454	85.8%
2023	75.27	303^rd	1463	79.3%
2024	78.99	249^th	1465	83.0%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Candlewood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	85.39	155^th	1352	88.5%
2019	81.46	204^th	1366	85.1%
2021	82.15	139^th	1071	87.0%
2022	82.27	195^th	1455	86.6%
2023	73.84	310^th	1464	78.8%
2024	76.73	248^th	1464	83.1%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Candlewood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	71.61	104^th	374	72.2%
2019	67.45	123^rd	369	66.7%
2021	62.54	94^th	236	60.2%
2022	60.35	163^rd	381	57.2%
2023	53.77	211^th	388	45.6%
2024	62.15	161^st	396	59.3%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Candlewood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	78.15	101^st	663	84.8%
2019	82.10	89^th	653	86.4%
2021	80.31	25^th	253	90.1%
2022	72.99	130^th	706	81.6%
2023	58.66	245^th	696	64.8%
2024	66.24	183^rd	705	74.0%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Candlewood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	70.36	187^th	810	76.9%
2019	73.23	159^th	826	80.8%
2021	61.52	115^th	449	74.4%
2022	71.79	177^th	914	80.6%
2023	77.21	162^nd	943	82.8%
2024	74.63	169^th	953	82.3%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Candlewood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	78.21	124^th	763	83.7%
2019	79.20	117^th	716	83.7%
2021	78.19	106^th	614	82.7%
2022	75.66	146^th	748	80.5%
2023	65.52	258^th	772	66.6%
2024	65.31	242^nd	778	68.9%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: NY State Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: NY State Education Department

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Enrollment information for Candlewood Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	526	9	41	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	581
1990	504	6	39	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	555
1991	498	12	35	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	550
1992	617	81	59	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	770
1993	557	87	59	22	0	n/a	n/a	0	725
1994	563	67	55	49	0	n/a	n/a	0	734
1995	572	88	50	33	1	n/a	n/a	0	744
1996	572	88	50	33	1	n/a	n/a	0	744
1997	550	83	70	38	0	n/a	n/a	0	741
1998	588	81	93	36	3	n/a	n/a	0	801
1999	609	85	91	35	4	n/a	n/a	0	824
2000	696	79	75	33	1	n/a	n/a	0	884
2001	725	87	80	35	1	n/a	n/a	0	928
2002	700	108	77	50	0	n/a	n/a	0	935
2003	700	108	77	50	0	n/a	n/a	0	935
2004	721	135	109	53	0	n/a	n/a	0	1018
2005	734	123	106	48	0	n/a	n/a	0	1011
2006	748	150	114	40	0	n/a	n/a	0	1052
2007	727	143	122	42	0	n/a	n/a	0	1034
2008	713	161	129	45	0	n/a	n/a	0	1048
2009	759	172	125	49	1	n/a	n/a	1	1107
2010	729	159	132	45	1	n/a	n/a	5	1071
2011	743	142	148	38	1	0	8	0	1080
2012	730	123	132	65	4	0	19	0	1073
2013	681	121	127	76	9	0	22	0	1036
2014	637	107	119	85	9	0	24	0	981
2015	582	126	124	75	5	0	27	0	939
2016	549	105	123	78	1	0	27	0	883
2017	517	101	140	83	2	0	28	0	871
2018	445	81	140	82	3	0	28	0	779
2019	405	102	141	88	3	0	35	0	774
2020	363	112	139	98	4	0	32	0	748
2021	327	111	143	114	4	1	29	0	729
2022	317	109	155	128	3	0	34	0	746
2023	285	118	151	123	2	0	40	0	719
2024	287	116	165	120	2	0	48	0	738

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Candlewood Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	581	50.9	11.4	n/a
1990	555	53.3	10.4	n/a
1991	550	47.9	11.4	n/a
1992	770	69.3	11.1	n/a
1993	725	64.4	11.3	n/a
1994	734	63.0	11.7	5
1995	744	53.5	13.9	6.7
1996	744	53.5	13.9	6.7
1997	741	55.8	13.3	7.2
1998	801	60.8	13.2	6.2
1999	824	61.2	13.5	5
2000	884	66.4	13.3	7
2001	928	68.6	13.5	7
2002	935	81.0	11.5	7.4
2003	935	81.0	11.5	7.4
2004	1018	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	1011	83.8	12.1	7
2006	1052	80.0	13.2	8.3
2007	1034	79.3	13.0	9
2008	1048	85.2	12.3	8.3
2009	1107	85.2	13.0	9
2010	1071	82.5	12.9	9.8
2011	1080	86.0	12.5	9.5
2012	1073	81.7	13.1	10.4
2013	1036	83.0	12.4	12.5
2014	981	72.0	13.6	14.6
2015	939	64.0	14.6	15.3
2016	883	64.0	13.7	16.9
2017	871	66.2	13.1	17.1
2018	779	64.3	12.1	14.4
2019	774	62.0	12.4	18.9
2020	748	69.0	10.8	22.5
2021	729	63.4	11.4	24.8
2022	746	69.9	10.6	23.6
2023	719	66.9	10.7	22.9
2024	738	73.8	10.0	23.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Candlewood Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	581	50.9	11.4	n/a
1990	555	53.3	10.4	n/a
1991	550	47.9	11.4	n/a
1992	770	69.3	11.1	n/a
1993	725	64.4	11.3	n/a
1994	734	63.0	11.7	5
1995	744	53.5	13.9	6.7
1996	744	53.5	13.9	6.7
1997	741	55.8	13.3	7.2
1998	801	60.8	13.2	6.2
1999	824	61.2	13.5	5
2000	884	66.4	13.3	7
2001	928	68.6	13.5	7
2002	935	81.0	11.5	7.4
2003	935	81.0	11.5	7.4
2004	1018	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	1011	83.8	12.1	7
2006	1052	80.0	13.2	8.3
2007	1034	79.3	13.0	9
2008	1048	85.2	12.3	8.3
2009	1107	85.2	13.0	9
2010	1071	82.5	12.9	9.8
2011	1080	86.0	12.5	9.5
2012	1073	81.7	13.1	10.4
2013	1036	83.0	12.4	12.5
2014	981	72.0	13.6	14.6
2015	939	64.0	14.6	15.3
2016	883	64.0	13.7	16.9
2017	871	66.2	13.1	17.1
2018	779	64.3	12.1	14.4
2019	774	62.0	12.4	18.9
2020	748	69.0	10.8	22.5
2021	729	63.4	11.4	24.8
2022	746	69.9	10.6	23.6
2023	719	66.9	10.7	22.9
2024	738	73.8	10.0	23.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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