Furnace Woods Elementary School, Cortlandt Manor NY

Original Research by School Decision on Furnace Woods Elementary School

Furnace Woods Elementary serves grades two through five in Cortlandt Manor, a community in Hendrick Hudson Central School District. The school is small, with an enrollment concentrated in the upper elementary grades. The student body is diverse: roughly equal shares of white and Hispanic students, with smaller populations of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

In the most recent state testing year, the school showed uneven proficiency across subjects and grades. In fourth-grade math, roughly six in ten students met or exceeded proficiency standards. Fifth-grade math was stronger, with proficiency near two-thirds. By contrast, fourth-grade English language arts lagged at about four in ten students proficient, improving to mid-fifties proficiency in fifth grade. Fifth-grade science proficiency fell well below math and ELA, at roughly four in ten students. A parent may want to look into the school's science instruction and support in detail. Grade three and six data were not tested at this school, the reason being that the school reports serving grades two through five; testing in grades three and five is standard in New York, so gaps in grades three and six reflect the school's actual grade configuration.

Across all tested grades and subjects, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among the county's districts. The median district in Westchester County achieves proficiency roughly twice as high as Furnace Woods. This gap is substantial and reflects a school facing real academic headwinds.

The district itself is under structural financial stress. The April 2021 closure of the Indian Point nuclear power plant eliminated roughly a quarter of Hendrick Hudson's annual revenue base. The resulting shortfall has driven sharp property tax increases and threatens program depth and resources. A state cessation fund is offsetting part of that loss, but that support is set to phase out. Families considering a move to the area should expect sustained pressure on school spending and continuing tax growth over the coming years. The district has sought voter approval for capital improvements and reserve funds to manage the transition, but the underlying fiscal strain is significant and ongoing.

The housing market in the zip code reflects middle-affluence values, with stable interest in the area. Whether current affordability and community appeal will hold as tax burdens rise remains a question a prospective family would reasonably weigh.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 30%

School 0% · District 71% · ▼ 71 pts below district

▼ 59 pts below state median · ▼ 62 pts below county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 64% · ▼ 5 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 53% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 62% · ▼ 62 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 51 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 30%

School 0% · District 60% · ▼ 60 pts below district

▼ 52 pts below state median · ▼ 56 pts below county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 55% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 60% · ▼ 5 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 56% · ▼ 56 pts below district

▼ 46 pts below state median · ▼ 48 pts below county median

Science

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 48% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 595%

School 95% · district not reported

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

This schoolHENDRICK HUDSON 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-income67%Higher-income51%15 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income29%Higher-income50%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income64%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income67%Higher-income82%15 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income69%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income75%25 pp gap