Its no secret that"opt out"rates are demographically based, with low income, minority communities having low"opt out" rates while middle class and White communities having the highest"opt out"rates. Statewide the "opt out" rate was 19% or 2% less than in 2016. However, on Long Island the "opt out" rates were similar to the 2016 percentages.
What's very obvious from the tables below, the highest and lowest "opt out" rates were found in vastly different racial and income based communities.
Highest "opt out" rates
Community................English.............Math
Comsewogue................86%..............82%
Rocky Point...................79%..............77%
Wading River................77%..............66%
Plainedge.....................77%..............67%
Patchogue....................76%..............73%
Bayport........................75%.............70%
Sayville........................74%..............69%
East Islip......................73%.............71%
Bellmore......................72%..............59%
Lowest "opt out" rates
Community.................English.........Math
Wyandanch...................3%..............4%
Hempstead....................5%..............6%
Elmont.........................11%............13%
Central Islip..................12%...........16%
Roosevelt.....................13%...........16%
In New York City, the 2017 "opt out" rate was 4%.
Interestingly, in heavily East Asian and high income communities,on the North Shore of Nassau County, the "opt out"rates were closer to those in the poor and minority communities the table below shows this.
High Income "opt out" rates
Community...............English...........Math
Great Neck...................22%............20%
Jericho.........................24%............21%
Syosset.......................29%.............40%
Roslyn.........................24%.............35%
Since East Asian communities, as well as high income communities emphasis education, including tutors and after school educational opportunities, it makes sense that these high achieving communities will take the State tests rather than"opt out"since they are exposed to test prep courses during the school year... This shows up in the State test passing rate of between 75% to 85% for these communities. Compared that to single digits in places like Wyndanch and Hempstead.