Mount Vernon School District, NY

Original Research by School Decision on Mount Vernon School District

Mount Vernon School District, serving the city of Mount Vernon in Westchester County, is a mid-sized district covering pre-kindergarten through grade twelve. The student body is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with smaller populations of Asian, white, and multiracial students. Enrollment has declined over recent years, a condition that has prompted significant operational changes.

In January 2025, the Board of Education approved a major K-8 building reorganization that closes three schools: Cecil H. Parker School, Mount Vernon Honor Academy, and Mount Vernon Leadership Academy. The consolidation, driven by enrollment loss, expensive building repairs, and a state designation of fiscal distress, relocates affected students to nearby buildings and restructures the district into four K-8 neighborhood locations alongside distinct high school options. This is a lasting change that directly shapes the pathway families navigate through the system.

Academic performance across the district shows proficiency rates in the lower range compared to other Westchester County districts. On state testing, elementary math proficiency runs between roughly a third and under half of students meeting the proficiency threshold, with English language arts tracking slightly higher. At the middle grades, the pattern continues, though eighth-grade ELA shows a notable uptick. Science proficiency, tested at grades five and eight, sits below math and ELA. Grade eight math proficiency drops markedly compared to earlier grades, and the participation rate in eighth-grade science is substantially lower than in other tested grades, suggesting students may be moving into Regents exams or alternative assessment pathways at that point. These proficiency snapshots place the district in the bottom quartile among Westchester County's districts on overall proficiency.

Chronic absenteeism is also in the bottom quartile when compared to county peers. Per-pupil current spending, however, falls in the middle range of the county, in the upper half of that range.

The district operates sixteen schools, three of which closed in the 2024-25 school year following the reorganization vote. High school students have a structured choice: Mount Vernon High School offers International Baccalaureate and career-technical pathways; Mount Vernon STEAM Academy focuses on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; and Denzel Washington School offers an arts focus. This intentional differentiation gives families options based on student interests.

The district faces sustained fiscal pressure. The New York State Comptroller has designated it in significant fiscal stress for six consecutive years. In May 2026, voters rejected the proposed budget for the 2026-2027 school year, the first such defeat in recent years. A failed budget vote typically triggers contingency measures including cuts to after-school programming, hiring freezes, and delayed maintenance—factors that affect the day-to-day experience and support systems families rely on.

For a parent or resident considering Mount Vernon, the picture is one of a district managing substantial enrollment and fiscal headwinds while maintaining a structured, intentional high school choice model. Academic proficiency is below the county average, chronic absenteeism is elevated, and the recent school closures and budget defeat reflect real constraints on resources and capacity. The district may be a fit for families in the area who value neighborhood schools and high school specialty programs, but the academic performance and resource limitations warrant careful conversation with individual schools and a realistic view of the support infrastructure available.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

6,813

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 30%

Black 62%

White 5%

Asian 2%

Two+ 1%

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

68%

—

Gr 3

37%

51%

Gr 4

45%

54%

Gr 5

37%

57%

Gr 6

36%

47%

Gr 7

41%

54%

Gr 8

51%

59%

Math

Gr EOC

46%

—

Gr 3

40%

48%

Gr 4

45%

52%

Gr 5

35%

48%

Gr 6

38%

46%

Gr 7

36%

54%

Gr 8

28%

24%

Science

Gr EOC

40%

—

Gr 5

30%

40%

Gr 8

33%

30%

Social studies

Gr EOC

76%

—

Schools in this District

16 schools are officially reported under this district.

MOUNT VERNON LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

GRAHAM SCHOOL

HAMILTON SCHOOL

MOUNT VERNON HONOR ACADEMY

LINCOLN SCHOOL

REBECCA TURNER ACADEMY

MOUNT VERNON HIGH SCHOOL

CECIL H PARKER SCHOOL

PENNINGTON SCHOOL

EDWARD WILLIAMS SCHOOL

TRAPHAGEN SCHOOL

GRIMES SCHOOL

BENJAMIN TURNER MIDDLE SCHOOL

DENZEL WASHINGTON SCHOOL-ARTS

MOUNT VERNON STEAM ACADEMY

NELSON MANDELA/DR HOSA ZOLLICOFFER SCHOOL

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

6 grades reported

42%

Grade 3

47%

Grade 4

39%

Grade 5

41%

Grade 6

41%

Grade 7

27%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

41%

Grade 3

47%

Grade 4

43%

Grade 5

39%

Grade 6

45%

Grade 7

53%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

33%

Grade 5

32%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$567,228

Year-over-year change+3.0%

Range across 5 ZIP codes$546K to $1.4M

vs. state typical1.11x

vs. national typical1.54x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (5 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
10550	Mount Vernon	$563K	+1.4%	45.2%
10552	Mount Vernon	$546K	+4.9%	37.4%
10553	Mount Vernon	$585K	+2.6%	15.8%
10708	Yonkers	$920K	+8.5%	1.3%
10803	Pelham	$1.4M	+12.6%	0.3%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$2,726/mo

Year-over-year change+4.8%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$2,468 to $3,491/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
10550	Mount Vernon	$2,468	+2.4%	45.2%
10552	Mount Vernon	$3,010	+7.7%	37.4%
10708	Yonkers	$3,491	+8.1%	1.3%
10803	Pelham	$2,961	—	0.3%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$2,862/mo

Home price / national median income6.8x

Annual rent / national median income39.1%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$136/mo

Market Activity: Westchester County

Median listing price$750,000

Median listing price YoY-5.7%

Median price per sq ft$419

Median price per sq ft YoY+1.9%

Median days on market30.5 days

Median days on market YoY-12.9%

Active listings1,539

Active listings YoY-2.0%

New listings1,108

New listings YoY-8.3%

Pending listings236

Pending listings YoY-88.6%

Hotness: median listing price$712,500

Hotness: median listing price YoY-3.2%

Supply score94.1

Supply score YoY+11.3%

Demand score70.5

Demand score YoY+35.4%

Median listing price (12 months)

Median price per sq ft (12 months)

Median days on market (12 months)

Active listings (12 months)

New listings (12 months)

Pending listings (12 months)

Hotness: median listing price (12 months)

Supply score (12 months)

Demand score (12 months)

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.