Area schools often beat state testing averages, but chronic absenteeism persists
The latest available data shows both the Warwick and Florida high schools saw their highest rates of chronic absenteeism during the 2024-2025 school year.
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+ annual absences. New York State started tracking this metric in the 2017-2018 school year. The latest available data from 2024-2025 shows Warwick Valley Central School District high schoolers reached a new peak, with 39.5% of students chronically absent.
Florida high schoolers also saw a new peak in the 2024-2025 data, with 22.5% of students chronically absent. There is no available data for the 2019-2020 year due to remote learning during the pandemic.
Elementary and middle school students at Warwick Valley Central School District performed at or above average on state assessments for ELA.
Third graders in the Florida Union Free School District performed below average with 48% proficiency, but the rest of the district exceeded state averages. 20% Warwick and Florida students opted out of the exams.
Warwick Valley School District students scored above the state average for math proficiency across the board.
Most grades in the Florida district met or exceeded state averages; the only exceptions were grades five and seven. 19% of Warwick students and 18% of Florida students opted out of the exams.
Warwick Valley School District students scored above the NY state average for the state-administered science exams for grades five and eight.
Florida students scored below the state average in grade five. 13% of Warwick students and 21% of Florida students opted out of the exams.