Ausable Valley Central School District, NY

Original Research by School Decision on Ausable Valley Central School District

Ausable Valley Central School District serves a small, rural region of Clinton County in northeastern New York, spanning towns including Au Sable Forks, Keeseville, Peru, Saranac, Schuyler Falls, and surrounding communities. The district operates four schools: two elementary buildings, a middle school, and a high school, serving students from prekindergarten through grade twelve.

The district's enrollment is modest and reflects the scale of its region. Families here tend to stay in rural communities or make that choice deliberately; the housing market across the district's service area centers on a mid-range of home values, with modest year-over-year appreciation and relatively stable affordability compared to state benchmarks. This is a place where many families have roots.

Academic performance, as measured by New York State Testing Program results, presents a clear profile. Early elementary students in grades three through five show uneven but mixed proficiency, with third grade near a low threshold in both math and English language arts, improving modestly by fifth grade especially in ELA. Middle grades six through eight show a stark pattern: sixth grade math performance rises notably above earlier grades, but seventh and eighth grades drop significantly in both subjects, with eighth grade proficiency rates in math and ELA well below the district's baseline. Science proficiency in fifth and eighth grades is similarly low, particularly in eighth grade. Overall, the district's proficiency index positions it below the midpoint among Clinton County's districts. Chronic absenteeism at roughly mid-range for the county signals attendance challenges that may correlate with the performance dip in later middle grades.

The district has faced acute fiscal headwinds in the past year. One-time federal pandemic relief funding has expired, state aid growth remains minimal, and New York's property tax cap limits revenue growth. These constraints produced a substantial initial budget gap for the 2026-27 school year, forcing program reductions and reorganization. In May 2026 voters rejected the district's proposed budget, which carried the largest property tax increase the region had seen and exceeded the state tax cap. A revised budget at the cap rate went to a June re-vote, with a contingency budget at the cap as a fallback. This fiscal volatility and voter resistance signal near-term uncertainty about program stability and property tax trajectory that a family considering the district would want to monitor.

On the capital side, the district secured voter approval in February 2024 for a major building project including facility repairs, renovations, and an energy performance contract. This represented the district's largest infrastructure investment in years and will shape school building condition going forward, a factor families weigh in relocation decisions.

The district's peer environment is predominantly white and rural, with a small population of students of color and no data reported on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, English learners, or special education enrollment rates, so a parent may want to ask the district directly about those demographics and supports. The schools themselves are small to mid-sized by rural standards, which brings both the cohesion and the resource constraints typical of such settings.

A family considering Ausable Valley should understand this as a small-town district with uneven academic performance, especially a significant proficiency drop in seventh and eighth grades where the data warrants further inquiry with the school. The recent budget rejection and ongoing fiscal stress are real considerations for parents weighing stability. At the same time, the district is investing in its buildings and continues to serve its community across a full grade range. This profile suits families seeking rural living and small-school settings, but who should be prepared for the academic and fiscal realities the data shows.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

1,168

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 1%

Black 2%

White 96%

Two+ 1%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr EOC

78%

—

Gr 3

32%

38%

Gr 4

32%

61%

Gr 5

55%

60%

Gr 6

37%

58%

Gr 7

18%

19%

Gr 8

20%

Math

Gr EOC

69%

—

Gr 3

26%

44%

Gr 4

26%

53%

Gr 5

40%

61%

Gr 6

60%

84%

Gr 7

35%

Gr 8

19%

Science

Gr EOC

53%

—

Gr 5

44%

52%

Gr 8

15%

27%

Social studies

Gr EOC

64%

—

Schools in this District

4 schools are officially reported under this district.

AUSABLE FORKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

AUSABLE VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

KEESEVILLE PRIMARY SCHOOL

AUSABLE VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

33%

Grade 3

37%

Grade 4

49%

Grade 5

70%

Grade 6

35%

Grade 7

11%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

35%

Grade 3

44%

Grade 4

57%

Grade 5

46%

Grade 6

19%

Grade 7

10%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

47%

Grade 5

20%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$242,774

Year-over-year change+4.2%

Range across 13 ZIP codes$181K to $466K

vs. state typical0.48x

vs. national typical0.66x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (13 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
12912	Au Sable Forks	$204K	+4.2%	31.8%
12944	Keeseville	$203K	+5.4%	28.2%
12941	Jay	$336K	+3.0%	12.5%
12997	Wilmington	$408K	+3.7%	6.9%
12972	Peru	$272K	+4.2%	6.1%
12985	Schuyler Falls	$181K	+2.7%	5.5%
12987	Upper Jay	$322K	+4.6%	3.5%
12981	Saranac	$186K	+2.0%	2.5%
12975	Port Kent	$275K	+3.0%	1.1%
12996	Willsboro	$276K	+5.2%	0.1%
12942	Keene	$466K	+2.8%	0.1%
12989	Vermontville	$246K	+5.5%	0.1%
12913	Bloomingdale	$247K	+1.8%	0.0%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,225/mo

Home price / national median income2.9x

Comparison

State typical home value$510,449 (+5.0% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.