The top reported proficiency rate is 95% in Science. The lowest is 62% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Cornwall Elementary School
Cornwall Elementary School sits on Lee Road in Cornwall, New York, a Hudson Valley town about fifty miles north of New York City that functions largely as a commuter community. The school serves kindergarten through fourth grade within the Cornwall Central School District, making it the entry point for children in a district that continues through the secondary years.
The school's academic results, measured by the New York State Testing Program in third and fourth grade, are genuinely strong. Math proficiency in both tested grades runs well above what most families would consider solid performance, and fourth-grade math in particular stands out. ELA proficiency is somewhat lower than math across both grades, which is a pattern common statewide, though still respectable. The fourth-grade science result from the most recent available year was exceptionally high, with nearly all tested students reaching proficiency. Relative to districts across Orange County, Cornwall Elementary's overall proficiency index places it at the top of that comparison group, meaning it sits above all other measured districts in the county on this combined measure. Participation in testing was high across all subjects, which makes the results a reliable read rather than an artifact of a thin or skewed sample. Multi-year trend data was not available in the data provided, so direction of travel over time is a gap a parent may want to explore directly with the school.
Enrollment spans kindergarten through fourth grade at a size that, for this grade band, is on the larger end of a typical elementary school. White students make up a slim majority of the school, with Hispanic students forming the next largest group, followed by Black and Asian students in roughly similar proportions, and a notable share of students identifying as two or more races. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not reported in the source we received, so a parent with questions about language support or special education services would want to raise those with the school directly.
The Cornwall Central School District has been moving on a couple of fronts worth knowing. It launched a free, full-day Universal Pre-Kindergarten program in the 2024-25 school year through state grant funding, then expanded it in 2025-26 with additional seats. For families arriving with four-year-olds, this is a meaningful early-entry option before the kindergarten years at this school. On the facilities side, voters approved a capital reserve fund in 2025 to accumulate money for future building work, but then rejected a separate capital improvement proposition in 2026 by a clear margin. That means identified facility needs are unresolved for now, and the district will likely return to voters with a revised plan in coming years. Property taxes carry a levy increase in the current budget, staying just under the state cap, and the district's budget overall runs at a scale that reflects the cost pressures common to suburban Hudson Valley districts.
The housing market in Cornwall is elevated relative to national norms. Home values sit above the New York State benchmark and well above the national median, and they have continued to appreciate. The estimated monthly carrying cost on a median-priced home is substantial, a real constraint for buyers who are also factoring school quality into their decision. Rental data was not available for this ZIP code in the data provided.
Cornwall itself reads as a quiet, ownership-dominated community with two walkable downtown districts, a commuter rail station on Metro-North's Port Jervis Line with service into Hoboken, and outdoor anchors including Storm King State Park and the Hudson riverfront. The town is in the middle of state-funded downtown revitalization, including a trail planned to link the two commercial districts and an adaptive reuse hotel project on Main Street. Outside the village centers, a car is effectively necessary for daily errands.
For a family weighing this school specifically, the academic profile is as strong as any elementary school in Orange County based on available data. The gaps worth exploring with the school are special education and English learner supports, given the missing data on those populations, and the longer-term facilities picture given the failed capital vote.
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