Linden Avenue Middle School, Red Hook NY

Original Research by School Decision on Linden Avenue Middle School

Linden Avenue Middle School serves a small middle school enrollment spread across grades 6, 7, and 8 in Red Hook, a compact Hudson Valley village anchored by farmland, a walkable downtown, and proximity to Bard College. The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller Hispanic population and very limited racial diversity overall. Economic hardship data and English learner enrollment counts were not available in the source data, which limits a full picture of student needs.

The school's test results show a pattern worth understanding. In English language arts, performance clusters in the middle range across grades: sixth graders reach proficiency at a notably higher rate than seventh and eighth graders, while eighth-grade ELA proficiency rebounds somewhat. Mathematics results tell a steeper story. Sixth-grade math proficiency is solid, but seventh grade dips substantially, and eighth grade drops further to a low proficiency level. Science was assessed only in eighth grade and shows a modest proficiency rate. The data also reveals participation concerns: in both math and ELA, the percentage of students taking the state test declines as grade advances, particularly sharply in eighth-grade math and science, where less than a fifth of the grade cohort participated. This pattern may reflect exemptions, waivers, or scheduling factors the school could clarify. When compared against other districts in Dutchess County, Linden Avenue's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint, a positioning that reflects some strength but also the presence of higher-performing peers in the county.

The school sits on West Market Street near the village center, within walking distance of civic anchors and the commercial downtown. Red Hook Central School District has undertaken significant facility work: a voter-approved capital project in 2022 funded HVAC upgrades, window replacements, and a new gym roof at Linden Avenue, addressing aging systems from the 1960s. More recently, the district has expanded career and technical education with a new welding program and a hands-on auto racing project, offerings that reach into high school and may shape how middle school fits into broader pathways.

The broader Red Hook context is stable and family-oriented. Housing values are above state and national benchmarks; recent census data places the median home price well above the national average. The village's conservation efforts constrain large new subdivisions, keeping the community's small-town character intact. An upcoming affordable housing project on North Broadway is expected to add rental apartments and first-time-buyer homes around 2028. The district has run recent operating budgets near the state tax cap, with rising fixed costs from health insurance and pensions pushing tax increases above inflation, a factor relevant to families evaluating cost of living.

Parent and resident inquiries about school athletics should note that the district's aging grass athletic field at the high school has been a point of contention. Voters have rejected artificial turf proposals three times since 2022, including an October 2024 special referendum, and the field has closed periodically due to safety concerns. This is a live issue for families prioritizing robust sports access.

A parent may want to follow up with the school directly on why eighth-grade math and science participation rates are so low and what support structures exist for students showing declining proficiency as they move through the grades. The ELA results suggest middle-grade reading and writing are stronger than math, and that trend holds context for placement discussions and summer-bridge planning. The school's physical plant investments and emerging technical education programs are genuine strengths; the participation and proficiency patterns merit closer conversation.

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Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

2 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
Science	57	96.0%
Math	52	100.0%

Math

Grade 670%

School 70% · District 70%

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 52%

▼ 1 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 662%

School 62% · District 61% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 751%

School 51% · District 51%

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

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Science

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 890%

School 90% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

This schoolRED HOOK 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 6Lower-income35%Higher-income73%37 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income19%Higher-income63%44 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income22%Higher-income65%43 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income82%44 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income8%Higher-income64%55 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income35%15 pp gap