The top reported proficiency rate is 96% in Social studies. The lowest is 39% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Northern Adirondack Elementary School
Northern Adirondack Elementary School sits on Route 11 in Ellenburg Depot, a rural hamlet in Clinton County near the Canadian border. It is the PreK-through-grade-5 building for the Northern Adirondack Central School District. The school draws a predominantly white student population, with a substantial share of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the working-class and rural economic character of this part of the North Country. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in what we reviewed.
The school's enrollment places it in the mid-range for a rural elementary, spread across seven grade levels from prekindergarten through fifth grade. The community itself is a small, quiet Adirondack-adjacent hamlet; web research on local employers, civic anchors, and community character was not available, so a fuller picture of daily life there is best gathered from a visit or conversations with local families.
On the New York State Testing Program, results for grades three through five tell a mixed story. Third-grade ELA and math are the strongest points, with roughly half of tested students reaching proficiency in each subject. Those rates drop in fourth grade and dip further in fifth. The fifth-grade science results land in a similar range to fifth-grade ELA. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to the eight districts in Clinton County for which comparable data exists, which is worth noting given that several county districts serve more economically advantaged communities. That relative standing does not change the fact that fewer than half of students across most grade levels are reaching proficiency, a gap parents may want to raise directly with the school. The data does not include year-over-year trend information, so it is not possible to say whether results are improving, stable, or declining.
No graduation rate applies here; the school serves only elementary grades.
The housing picture in the area around Ellenburg Depot is a clear draw for many families. Home values run well below both the statewide median and the national median, and the year-over-year appreciation has been solid, suggesting the market is active even at these lower price points. Estimated mortgage costs, even at current rates, reflect that affordability advantage. Rental cost data was not available for this zip code.
The district recently put two capital propositions before voters, and both passed in a December 2025 referendum, as publicly reported. The first, described as tax-neutral, covers a comprehensive elementary roof replacement, bathroom renovations, fire alarm and building management system upgrades, flooring and interior work in the middle-high school, a new standby generator, and campus-wide utility work including new well, water, and electrical systems. For families deciding whether to settle in this area, the passage of that work means the building their children would attend is headed into a meaningful physical renewal. The second proposition adds an artificial turf multi-sport athletic complex for baseball, softball, and soccer with an ADA-compliant grandstand, along with a new agricultural program building designed for hands-on learning. That agricultural facility points to a career-pathway orientation that fits the rural region, though those programs would serve students at the secondary level rather than at the elementary school specifically.
Program details for the elementary school itself, such as arts, enrichment, or intervention offerings, were not in the data we reviewed, and the school's website would be the right place to look for that information.
For a family weighing this school, the picture is a rural elementary serving a tight-knit, predominantly white community with a meaningful share of economically disadvantaged students, proficiency rates that sit above the county midpoint but still below the majority threshold in most grades, a housing market that remains genuinely accessible, and a district that just committed to substantial facility and program investment.
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