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Common School 32Common School 32 · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0
C−
Schools in Tompkins · Walton Central School District, Hancock Central School District

Tompkins’s public schools score below 76% of New York districts on tests and graduation

In Tompkins, 30% of tested students are proficient in math, below the New York average (46%). The grade covers the two public school districts serving Tompkins, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within New York, not nationally.

K–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
36%
▼ 13 pts vs NY 49%
2021–22
Math proficiency
30%
▼ 17 pts vs NY 46%
2021–22
Graduate on time
85–89%
▼ 2–2 pts vs NY 87%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$27.2K
▼ 21% vs NY $34.6K
FY2024 · Walton Central
Students per teacher
10.5
NY 11.2 · smaller classes
Schools in town
0
1,097 students on the public path
In brief

Tompkins’s schools, in brief

Results trail the state

In spring 2022, 36% of tested students were proficient in reading and 30% in math, against 49% and 46% statewide; 82% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓

Graduation

85–89% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 87% across New York (the state reports Tompkins’s rate as a range). Districts ↓

Spending and class size

Walton Central spends $27,176 per student and Hancock Central $37,039, against $34,607 across New York (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓

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 Tompkins’s grade

C− Test scoresC Graduation

C−: better than 24% of New York school districts. Both inputs trail the New York average; graduation is the closer of the two to typical.

New York school districts we grade (1,013)Better than 24%
Lower resultsHigher results
New York towns with similar household incomes (893)Better than 26%
Towns in Delaware County (19)Better than 37%
DC+A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 483 test results and a graduating class of 70 could put Tompkins anywhere from D to C+. The tests are from spring 2022, when 82% of Tompkins’s students in the tested grades sat them (502 in math, 463 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

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

The path, start to finish
PK–52 elementary schoolsDepends on your addressD to C−
6–123 schoolsDepends on your addressD to A

Tompkins runs its own schools through grade 12 (Walton Central School District). From grade PK, students attend the Hancock Central School District, shared with Hancock and Hancock. Its elementary school is in Walton. Parts of Tompkins (15% of its land) are served by Deposit Central instead. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

Two districts serve Tompkins

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

Walton Central School DistrictGrades PK–12 · 3 schools · 805 students, down 4% since 2020–21 · 11.0 per teacher (NY 11.2)
$27,176NY $34,607 · FY2024
C−
Hancock Central School DistrictGrades PK–12 · 2 schools · 292 students, down 6% since 2020–21 · 9.4 per teacher (NY 11.2)
$37,039NY $34,607 · FY2024
C−
Test scores · 2021–22

Well below the state in reading

Reading · PK–12, Walton Central School District31%
State average 48.9% · 314 students tested
Math · PK–12, Walton Central School District31%
State average 46.5% · 352 students tested
Reading · PK–12, Hancock Central School District47%
State average 48.9% · 149 students tested
Math · PK–12, Hancock Central School District27%
State average 46.5% · 150 students tested

Tompkins vs. its neighbors

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

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
TompkinsC−Walton Central PK–12 · Hancock Central PK–12
WaltonC−Walton Central
Deposit—Deposit Central
HancockC−Hancock Central
MasonvilleC+Sidney Central

Every school in Tompkins

5 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).

Also serving Tompkinsin other towns
Townsend Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Walton
C−
348 students12:1Rate it →
Hancock Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–4 · Hancock
D
93 students11:1Rate it →
Walton High School
Grades 2–12 · Walton
A
271 students12:1Rate it →
Hancock Junior-Senior High School
High · Grades 5–12 · Hancock
C−
199 students9:1Rate it →
Walton Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Walton
D
186 students9:1Rate it →

Questions about Tompkins’s schools

Are Tompkins’s schools good?

On New York’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools Tompkins children attend score below 76% of New York’s school districts on tests and graduation, a C− Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 26%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Tompkins in?

Two districts: Walton Central School District runs grades PK–12, and Hancock Central School District runs grades PK–12, shared with Hancock and Hancock.

What is Tompkins’s graduation rate?

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

How much does Tompkins spend per student?

$27,176 in Walton Central School District and $37,039 in Hancock Central School District (FY2024), against $34,607 across New York. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Tompkins families are saying about school.

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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.