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Schools in Highlands · Highland Falls Central School District

Highlands’s public schools outscore 58% of New York districts

The grade covers the public school district serving Highlands, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Math proficiency in Highlands’s districts is 53%, above the New York average (46%). Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within New York, not nationally.

#316of 755 New York townsK–12Where will my kid go?

From New York state tests taken in spring 2022, when 82% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
49%
▲ 0 pts vs NY 49%
2021–22
Math proficiency
53%
▲ 6 pts vs NY 46%
2021–22
Graduate on time
85–89%
▼ 2–2 pts vs NY 87%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$36.8K
▲ 6% vs NY $34.6K
FY2024
Students per teacher
9.2
NY 11.2 · smaller classes
Schools in town
3
930 students on the public path
In brief

Highlands’s schools, in brief

Against towns with similar incomes

Among the 631 New York towns with household incomes within a quarter of Highlands’s, its schools beat 46%, lower than their 58% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Above the state on tests

Reading proficiency is 49% and math 53% in spring 2022, against 49% and 46% statewide; 85–89% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 87%. Test scores ↓

Spending, and where it came from

The district spent $36,789 per student in FY2024, against $34,607 across New York. 28% of its revenue that year was federal (New York 8%), in the last year of pandemic relief. Districts ↓

One elementary school, then one middle and one high school

From grade 3 the district’s path is Highland Falls Intermediate School, then James I O'Neill High School. See the path ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Highlands’s grade

B Test scoresC Graduation

B: better than 58% of New York school districts, #316 of 755 New York towns. Test scores are above the New York average; graduation is below it.

New York school districts we grade (1,013)Better than 58%
Lower resultsHigher results
New York towns with similar household incomes (631)Better than 46%
Towns in Orange County (21)Better than 62%
C+B+A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 346 test results and a graduating class of 124 could put Highlands anywhere from C+ to B+. The tests are from spring 2022, when 82% of Highlands’s students in the tested grades sat them (372 in math, 320 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Highlands, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
PK–2Fort Montgomery Elementary SchoolHighland Falls Central School DistrictNo scores
3–8Highland Falls Intermediate SchoolHighland Falls Central School DistrictC−
9–12James I O'Neill High SchoolHighland Falls Central School DistrictA−

Highlands’s public schools are run by Highland Falls Central School District, which also serves Highland Falls. Parts of Highlands (12% of its land) are served by Haverstraw-Stony Point Central instead. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

The district

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Highland Falls Central School DistrictGrades PK–12 · 3 schools · 930 students, down 1% since 2020–21 · 9.2 per teacher (NY 11.2)
$36,789NY $34,607 · FY2024
B
Test scores · 2021–22

Close to the state in reading

Reading49%
State average 48.9% · 320 students tested
Math53%
State average 46.5% · 372 students tested
A note on the data.In FY2024, 28% of the Highland Falls Central district’s revenue came from the federal government, against 8% across New York, in the last year of federal pandemic relief; spending per student is reported as published.

Highlands vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the New York towns that share Highlands’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
HighlandsBHighland Falls Central
PhilipstownAGarrison Union Free PK–8 · Haldane Central K–12
CornwallACornwall Central
Woodbury—Monroe-Woodbury Central
Woodbury (village)BMonroe-Woodbury Central
Stony PointCHaverstraw-Stony Point Central

Every school in Highlands

3 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with New York’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

District schools in Highlandsby address
Fort Montgomery Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–2 · Fort Montgomery
187 students11:1Rate it →
Highland Falls Intermediate School
Middle · Grades 3–8 · Highland Falls
C−
334 students9:1Rate it →
James I O'Neill High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Fort Montgomery
A−
409 students9:1Rate it →

Questions about Highlands’s schools

Are Highlands’s schools good?

They sit near the middle of New York: the public schools Highlands children attend outscore 58% of New York’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B Schools grade, #316 of 755 New York towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 46%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Highlands in?

Highland Falls Central School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 930 students in 3 schools (2024–25). Small parts of Highlands are served by Haverstraw-Stony Point Central.

Where do Highlands kids go to high school?

James I O'Neill High School in Fort Montgomery, with 409 students; its own test results earn an A−.

What is Highlands’s graduation rate?

85–89% of the class of 2023 in Highland Falls Central School District graduated in four years, against 87% across New York.

How much does Highlands spend per student?

$36,789 in Highland Falls Central School District (FY2024), against $34,607 across New York. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Highlands families are saying about school.

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Looking for colleges? Colleges near Highlands → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within New York. Stars are from neighbors.