Chatsworth Avenue School

Chatsworth Avenue School
Address
Map
34 Chatsworth Ave.

, ,
10538

United States
Coordinates40°55′47″N 73°45′11″W / 40.929775°N 73.753109°W / 40.929775; -73.753109
Information
School typePublic school (government funded), Comprehensive school
Established1902
StatusOpen
School districtMamaroneck Union Free School District
NCES District ID3618240[1].
NCES School ID361824001645[3]
PrincipalLauren Scharfstein
Staff2[2]
Faculty43[2]
GradesK-5
Enrollment641[2] (2005[2])
 • Kindergarten108[2]
 • Grade 192[2]
 • Grade 296[2]
 • Grade 3112[2]
 • Grade 4112[2]
 • Grade 5101[2]
 • Ungraded Elementary[2]18[2]
Student to teacher ratio15.3[2]
Campus typeSuburban
Communities servedLarchmont Village
Feeder toHommocks Middle School
Websitewww.mamkschools.org/schools/chatsworth-avenue-school

Chatsworth Avenue School is a public elementary school located in Larchmont, New York. It was founded in 1902, as a two-room schoolhouse on Chatsworth Avenue. It has 3 floors and 4 extra classes that the kids partake in several times a week: Music, Library, Gym, and Art. With its two cafeterias and three playgrounds, children always enjoy their 1-hour lunch break. School hours are from 8:40 AM to 3:00 PM. There are approximately five classes per grade, and around 22 kids per class. The current principal is Lauren Scharfstein. It is a K-5 school with students advancing to the Hommocks Middle School. It is one of four elementary schools of the Mamaroneck Union Free School District.

In the mid 1970s, it was cited as an example of a school that was endeared by the community which was considering closing schools in the face of declining enrollment.[4]

In 1998, a 4th grade teacher from the school with 31 years of experience was interviewed by the New York Times and explained why the state mandated English Language Arts test was not suitable for the grade level.[5]

In 1999, the school was one of the top 25 schools in New York State for Percentage of 6th graders scoring at highest level in reading test.[6]

In 2000 the school was involved in a controversy when an 11-year-old student was suspended in a nationally reported incident over alleged sexual harassment of a girl. The child's parents claimed that it was an over reaction by the school. However, due to federal privacy regulations, the school could not respond publicly regarding details of the incident. In the face of a threatened lawsuit and media pressure, the school was forced to back down. Many other parents sided with the school, saying there had been many incidents with the child and that the cited incident was simply the straw that broke the camel's back. The overall perception was that the child's parents used lawyers and the media to manipulate the situation to their advantage.[7]

  1. ^ "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Mamaroneck Union Free School District". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Chatsworth Avenue School". NewYorkSchools.com™ - an Internet Point, Inc project. 2005. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  3. ^ "Search for Public Schools - Chatsworth Avenue School (361824001645)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  4. ^ Feron, James (November 18, 1975). "Mamaroneck and Many Other Suburbs Ponder Issue of Dwindling Enrollment". New York Times. p. 39. Retrieved 12 January 2016. ... it has long maintained a special hold on the generations of residents who have passed through its classrooms. If it is true that house-hunting families seek good school systems, it is also true that certain schools - Chatsworth and the Murray Avenue Schools in Larchmont for example - have special reputations. "There is a warmth and calmness in the Chatsworth Avenue School." Dr. Norwood [the then superintendent] said.
  5. ^ Hartocollis, Anemona (November 30, 1998). "Parents and Teachers Leery of New 4th-Grade English Test". New York Times. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  6. ^ Archibold, Randal C. (April 11, 1999). "STATUS REPORT; The Top Schools". New York Times. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  7. ^ Worth, Robert (April 16, 2000). "Taunt Turns a Town Into Spin City". New York Times. Retrieved 12 January 2016.