Pocantico Hills Central School District, NY

Original Research by School Decision on Pocantico Hills Central School District

Pocantico Hills Central School District serves prekindergarten through eighth grade across a small enrollment of around one hundred students per grade in Westchester County, mostly from Tarrytown, Elmsford, Pleasantville, Briarcliff, and Hawthorne. The district operates a single school and does not feed into a traditional high school; instead, eighth graders choose among three partner public high schools—Briarcliff, Pleasantville, and Sleepy Hollow—through a selection process. That choice is structural to the district's model and shapes the eight-year experience.

In reading and language arts across the tested grades, Pocantico Hills shows uneven performance. Third and fifth grades sit in the mid-to-low range, while fourth and sixth grades reach strong proficiency. Seventh and eighth grades post reasonable performance in the low-to-mid range. In mathematics, the pattern is more volatile. Third and fourth grades perform well, sixth grade reaches very high proficiency, but fifth grade dips to mid-range, and seventh grade settles to mid-range. Eighth-grade mathematics proficiency falls significantly, though this result rests on a very small cohort of students. Science proficiency is notably weaker, with fifth grade at about mid-range and eighth grade substantially lower.

The overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places the district above the midpoint among Westchester County's districts. A parent reviewing these numbers may want to look into why eighth-grade math and science results are so low, and whether that reflects a cohort effect, a transition in curriculum, or a broader pattern. Participation rates in seventh and eighth grades suggest some students are not taking state tests, which can affect how those results read. The district itself should be able to offer context on those years.

Chronic absenteeism sits below the county median at a rate of one in five students, suggesting a notable attendance challenge worth discussing with the school directly, especially as it can correlate with academic gains.

The student body reflects the broader Westchester County mix. White students make up about two-fifths of enrollment, Hispanic students about three-tenths, Asian students about one-sixth, and Black students about one-twelfth. The data on free-or-reduced-price lunch rates, English learners, and special-education enrollment status were not available in the district reporting.

Housing values across the district's service area run in the upper range for the county. Home values average in the mid-to-high range, and rents in the larger towns like Tarrytown are moderate to high. A family should expect to find housing at above-median county prices. The housing market has seen modest appreciation and steady but not frothy activity over the past year.

The district has undertaken a phased, multi-year capital facilities program that includes security improvements, communications upgrades, solar installation, and updated classroom and athletic spaces. This work has been voted on across multiple spring ballot propositions over the past six years, with a Phase III proposed in the May 2026 budget vote. These projects carry both direct cost implications for the tax base and quality-of-life effects on campus—a family choosing the district is making a choice about both the current physical plant and the debt trajectory it entails.

Pedagogically, the district has adopted a district-wide "Portrait of a Graduate" framework that reshapes how student learning and competencies are defined and taught. This is a sustained shift in curriculum and instructional design that moves beyond traditional subject-based measures toward whole-child and competency-based outcomes. It reflects a deliberate choice by the Board of Education and shapes the texture of what school looks like for a student moving through the K-8 span.

Pocantico Hills is a small, deliberately structured district. It is not a district with a high school; it is a pipeline to choice. It serves a moderately affluent corridor of Westchester, it has engaged in serious capital investment, and it has repositioned its teaching model around broader learner competencies. For a family seeking a small K-8 environment in an established community with the flexibility of high school choice, and with the means to absorb housing costs, it presents a coherent if specialized option. For a family wanting traditional high school continuity or a fully self-contained system, it does not fit.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

344

Grades

PK–08

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 30%

Black 8%

White 38%

Asian 16%

Two+ 8%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

14%

79%

Gr 4

100%

92%

Gr 5

58%

84%

Gr 7

20%

89%

Gr 8

75%

80%

Math

Gr 3

43%

89%

Gr 4

80%

88%

Gr 5

58%

72%

Gr 7

40%

89%

Science

Gr 5

33%

50%

Schools in this District

1 schools are officially reported under this district.

POCANTICO HILLS CENTRAL SCHOOL

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

6 grades reported

80%

Grade 3

86%

Grade 4

68%

Grade 5

93%

Grade 6

76%

Grade 7

44%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

66%

Grade 3

93%

Grade 4

76%

Grade 5

80%

Grade 6

71%

Grade 7

79%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

44%

Grade 5

43%

Grade 8

Social Studies

2 grades reported

100%

Grade 5

100%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$880,057

Year-over-year change+6.1%

Range across 6 ZIP codes$679K to $1.1M

vs. state typical1.72x

vs. national typical2.39x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (6 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
10591	Tarrytown	$904K	+8.6%	47.1%
10523	Elmsford	$679K	+5.8%	16.8%
10570	Pleasantville	$1.0M	+2.4%	13.2%
10595	Hawthorne	$873K	+2.0%	11.2%
10532	Hawthorne	$791K	+2.3%	6.4%
10510	Briarcliff Manor	$1.1M	+6.6%	5.3%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$3,256/mo

Year-over-year change+1.4%

Range across 3 ZIP codes$2,915 to $3,721/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (3 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
10591	Tarrytown	$3,247	+2.6%	47.1%
10523	Elmsford	$2,915	-2.0%	16.8%
10570	Pleasantville	$3,721	—	13.2%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$4,441/mo

Home price / national median income10.5x

Annual rent / national median income46.7%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$1,185/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.