Hancock Junior-senior High School, Hancock NY

Original Research by School Decision on Hancock Junior-senior High School

Hancock Junior-Senior High School serves grades five through twelve in a small rural district in southwestern Delaware County. The school sits on its own campus at the edge of Hancock village, a population center anchored by outdoor recreation and the Upper Delaware River. The school itself is mid-sized for a rural area, drawing from a community experiencing long-term population decline and aging demographics.

State testing data from 2024-25 shows mixed performance. In math, proficiency runs unevenly across grades, with eighth grade performing strongest and sixth grade weakest. Across fifth through eighth grade, the school sits above the midpoint proficiency mark relative to other district schools in Delaware County when taking all tested subjects together. Science proficiency in fifth grade is notably stronger than in other subjects, and eighth grade science is solid. English language arts proficiency is uneven by grade, with sixth grade noticeably higher than fifth and seventh grades. Overall, the pattern suggests the school has pockets of strength but also grades where fewer than half of students reach proficiency benchmarks in core subjects. A parent may want to explore with the school what support structures exist for students working below grade level and how the school approaches skill gaps in middle grades.

No state graduation rate data was available for this profile. High school program information beyond a course catalog was not provided.

The student population is small. Roughly one in three students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic need. The racial composition is predominantly white, with small populations of Black, Hispanic, and Asian students. Data on the share of students with individualized education plans or English learners was not reported.

The school's immediate context is Hancock village, a geographically large but lightly populated river town branded as the Gateway to the Upper Delaware. Most residents own their homes, the median age is notably older, and civic life centers on a compact downtown and outdoor recreation. The broader trend is population decline; the village has been shrinking for years. Housing values are modest compared to state averages, and the local economy rests on outdoor tourism, timber and stone, and increasingly on retirees and seasonal residents.

A significant change is underway. The Hancock Central School District is actively exploring a merger with the neighboring Deposit Central School District. Both boards commissioned a feasibility study in 2025, and if the study supports a merger, each district will hold a reorganization referendum. A merger would reshape which schools serve Hancock families, the academic offerings available, and the district's financial structure. Any family considering this district should ask the school directly about the timeline and what is being explored.

Beginning in fall 2025, the school also implemented New York's statewide bell-to-bell smartphone restriction. All personal internet-enabled devices are restricted for the entire school day, which changes how students carry and use phones during the day and how parents can reach their children during school hours.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 35 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,253 schools plotted. 14 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

New York Regents Exams

4 courses reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Social Studies	41	56.0%
Ela	40	60.0%
Math	5	100.0%
Science	5	100.0%

Math

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 42% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 37%

▼ 16 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 55%

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 33% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 37%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 48%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Science

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 67% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

This schoolHANCOCK 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 7Lower-income19%Higher-income57%38 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income43%Higher-income50%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income50%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income43%Higher-income60%17 pp gap