Benjamin Cosor Elementary School, Fallsburg NY

Original Research by School Decision on Benjamin Cosor Elementary School

Benjamin Cosor Elementary School serves preK through sixth grade in Fallsburg, a town of roughly mid-size population in eastern Sullivan County's Catskill Mountains. The school is part of the Fallsburg Central School District, which recently approved a major facilities capital project that funds air conditioning throughout all school buildings, parking and infrastructure repairs, safety system upgrades, and classroom modernization with no tax increase to the community. The district also authorized purchasing land adjacent to Benjamin Cosor to widen its sole bus and emergency vehicle entrance—a tangible infrastructure improvement families considering the school may want to note.

The school serves a substantially diverse student body: a majority Hispanic enrollment, a significant white population, and Black, multiracial, and American Indian students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting economic diversity in the school's base. The school operates as a regular public elementary, not a charter or magnet, with enrollment spread across its grade band.

Recent state test results show proficiency well below the midpoint among Sullivan County's districts. In mathematics, proficiency rates for students tested in grades 3 through 6 ranged from low to mid-range. Grade 5 math showed the highest proficiency of those grades, while grades 3 and 4 were notably lower. English language arts proficiency followed a similar pattern across the grade band, starting very low in third grade and rising modestly by sixth grade but remaining consistently below half. Science proficiency at the fifth-grade level tested was low. (State testing data for earlier grades or for prekindergarten and kindergarten were not available, as those grades are not statewide assessed.) Reading and math are the core areas where a parent may want to look into further with the school what support structures and interventions are in place for students working below proficiency benchmarks.

Fallsburg itself is a predominantly residential town organized around multiple small hamlets (Fallsburg, South Fallsburg, Woodbourne, Hurleyville, Loch Sheldrake, Mountaindale, Woodridge) with a rural-to-village character. The town is experiencing rapid housing growth, particularly in manufactured homes and planned unit developments, though aging water and sewer infrastructure has created a de facto constraint on building permits. The town relies on car travel; walkability is concentrated in village main streets like South Fallsburg's, which features local eateries and the O&W Rails to Trails trailhead. The area is anchored economically by manufacturing, health care, real estate, and seasonal tourism; nearby Monticello hosts larger employers including a casino and big-box retail. Town life centers on parks, recreation facilities, the library at Railroad Plaza in South Fallsburg, and trail infrastructure rather than transit.

The school campus itself is located away from a village center, on Brickman Road in the hamlet of Fallsburg, shared with the high school and central offices. Housing values in the Fallsburg area are below the state benchmark and roughly in line with national medians, making it a more affordable housing market for families relocating to the region. The district held its property tax levy flat for six consecutive years through 2024-25, a pattern relevant to families evaluating long-term cost. Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, the district implemented a cell phone ban aligned with New York State law, restricting student use of personal electronic devices during the school day.

For families considering Benjamin Cosor, the school offers a genuinely diverse peer environment in an affordable, growing community with sustained school infrastructure investment. Proficiency data indicates this is a school where most students are working below grade-level benchmarks in reading and mathematics, which a parent should discuss directly with school leadership regarding available support, intervention programs, and the pedagogical approach to helping students progress.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 22% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 422%

School 22% · District 21% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 32% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 19% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 23% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 30%

▼ 15 pts below state median

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 24 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 580%

School 80% · district not reported

▼ 12 pts below state median

This schoolFALLSBURG CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income18%Higher-income30%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income22%Higher-income38%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income22%Higher-income41%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income28%Higher-income38%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income16%Higher-income50%34 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income23%Higher-income19%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income52%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income42%12 pp gap