Kingston City School District, NY

Original Research by School Decision on Kingston City School District

Kingston City School District serves a student population across pre-kindergarten through grade twelve in Ulster County. The enrollment spans a typical grade distribution, with slightly larger cohorts in the upper elementary and high school bands. The district's racial and ethnic composition is diverse, with roughly half the students identifying as white, a substantial share as Hispanic, and meaningful representation among Black, multiracial, and Asian students. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and counts of students receiving special education services or English language support were not available.

Academic performance across the district shows consistent patterns of challenge. On the New York State Testing Program, proficiency rates in mathematics trend downward through the grade levels, starting around the middle of the range in grade three but dropping sharply by grades five and eight. English language arts proficiency is similarly modest, ranging from the low forties in third grade to the mid-thirties by sixth and seventh grades, with slight recovery in eighth grade. In the science assessments offered in fifth and eighth grades, proficiency sits in the mid-to-high twenties. Across all tested grades and subjects, the district's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among Ulster County's districts. A parent may want to look into the specific supports the district offers in literacy and numeracy, particularly for students not meeting standards, and whether the recent adoption of the Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts program in elementary grades is beginning to move the proficiency needle.

Test participation rates show a pattern worth noting. In elementary grades, participation hovers in the upper eighties to low nineties. By middle school, participation drops notably, falling to around seven in tenth of students in grade seven mathematics and below six in tenth by grade eight across both mathematics and science. This decline in testing participation in the middle grades is common but suggests families may want to understand what this reflects about engagement or attendance patterns in the district.

Chronic absenteeism across the district sits slightly below the median for the county, positioning Kingston below the midpoint among its peer districts. This is one area where the district's rate is not among the highest in the county, though absenteeism remains a factor in academic outcomes.

The district's per-pupil spending sits in the middle to upper-middle range compared to other Ulster County districts, indicating a moderately resourced environment relative to neighbors, though spending level alone does not determine outcomes.

Kingston City serves ten individual schools spanning the grade bands: five elementary buildings, two middle schools, one high school, and additional specialized facilities. The district has undertaken visible infrastructure work, with voters approving a five-year capital improvement project focused on air-conditioning, ventilation, and HVAC upgrades across the schools except Kingston High School. This reflects a commitment to modernizing facilities and indoor climate management, a long-term investment that carries budget implications for homeowners.

In curriculum, the district has rolled out the Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts program, a Science of Reading-aligned approach, in all kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms. This represents a deliberate shift in how early literacy is taught across the elementary system and is a change parents moving into the district should be aware of, since it shapes what reading instruction looks like for young students.

The housing market in the district's service area shows median home values in the range of lower-to-mid hundreds of thousands, with variation across the thirteen zip codes served. Rental options average in the range of modest two thousands monthly. Both home and rental affordability run higher than state and national benchmarks, making the area relatively accessible, though mortgage rates and rising rents have shaped recent affordability conditions. The broader economic context includes stable employment and median household income above the national median, creating a community with mixed economic circumstances typical of Hudson Valley communities.

For families considering Kingston City, the main consideration is that proficiency levels are substantially below county averages across all tested subjects and grades. The district is visibly investing in facilities and has adopted a research-backed literacy curriculum, moves that suggest institutional focus on improvement. The pattern of test participation drop-off in middle grades warrants clarification directly with the district. For families prioritizing high standardized test proficiency or whose students require intensive academic support, this district's current profile suggests the need for careful conversations with administrators about specific interventions and support structures in place.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

6,284

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 28%

Black 10%

White 50%

Asian 3%

Two+ 10%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr EOC

60%

—

Gr 3

28%

58%

Gr 4

24%

55%

Gr 5

23%

51%

Gr 6

32%

55%

Gr 7

20%

43%

Gr 8

28%

53%

Math

Gr EOC

41%

—

Gr 3

32%

69%

Gr 4

24%

50%

Gr 5

11%

31%

Gr 6

24%

47%

Gr 7

26%

46%

Gr 8

26%

Science

Gr EOC

38%

—

Gr 5

15%

41%

Gr 8

23%

39%

Social studies

Gr EOC

67%

—

Schools in this District

10 schools are officially reported under this district.

CHAMBERS SCHOOL

HARRY L EDSON SCHOOL

GEORGE WASHINGTON SCHOOL

ERNEST C MYER SCHOOL

J WATSON BAILEY MIDDLE SCHOOL

JOHN F KENNEDY SCHOOL

KINGSTON HIGH SCHOOL

E R CROSBY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

M CLIFFORD MILLER MIDDLE SCHOOL

ROBERT R GRAVES SCHOOL

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

6 grades reported

48%

Grade 3

34%

Grade 4

19%

Grade 5

34%

Grade 6

36%

Grade 7

15%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

41%

Grade 3

37%

Grade 4

34%

Grade 5

42%

Grade 6

31%

Grade 7

40%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

26%

Grade 5

29%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$416,008

Year-over-year change+2.7%

Range across 13 ZIP codes$356K to $634K

vs. state typical0.81x

vs. national typical1.13x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (13 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
12401	Kingston	$386K	+2.4%	46.1%
12487	Ulster Park	$433K	+3.8%	18.1%
12443	Hurley	$438K	+4.3%	12.1%
12561	New Paltz	$529K	+2.3%	4.3%
12449	Lake Katrine	$356K	+1.9%	4.1%
12486	Tillson	$413K	+0.7%	3.5%
12498	Woodstock	$634K	-0.3%	3.0%
12477	Saugerities	$404K	+1.6%	2.6%
12472	Rosendale	$401K	+3.1%	1.5%
12466	Port Ewen	$374K	+5.3%	1.1%
12411	Bloomington	$405K	-0.3%	0.7%
12493	Highland	$537K	+1.5%	0.3%
12491		$467K	+1.9%	0.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$2,199/mo

Year-over-year change+12.9%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$2,013 to $3,675/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
12401	Kingston	$2,013	+12.9%	46.1%
12561	New Paltz	$3,200	—	4.3%
12498	Woodstock	$3,675	—	3.0%
12477	Saugerities	$2,169	—	2.6%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$2,099/mo

Home price / national median income5.0x

Annual rent / national median income31.5%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$100/mo

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.