Red Hook Senior High School, Red Hook NY

Original Research by School Decision on Red Hook Senior High School

Red Hook Senior High School serves grades nine through twelve in a small Hudson Valley village with a strong conservation ethos and close ties to Bard College. The school sits on West Market Street near the village center, part of a district that spans from primary through high school on a shared campus model.

The student body is about half the size typical for a comprehensive rural high school, with the majority of students from white backgrounds and a meaningful share from Hispanic households. About a quarter of students qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch. State assessment data for the high school was not available, nor was a graduation rate or chronic absenteeism rate, so a full academic picture cannot be drawn from the information on hand. This absence of reported results may reflect gaps in state reporting for smaller rural high schools or the nature of how this school's data is compiled and released. A parent seeking detailed proficiency metrics or comparison to peer schools may want to contact the district directly.

What is visible is the district's recent investment in career pathways. The school has launched a Winners Circle Project that teaches students to run an auto racing team and a new welding program, supported by voter-approved upgrades that created separate dedicated spaces for metalworking and woodworking. These are legitimate hands-on alternatives to a purely academic track, appealing to families who value applied learning and skilled trades preparation.

The school's facilities reflect both age and ongoing community debate. Voters approved a substantial capital project in 2022 targeting infrastructure throughout the district, including HVAC, windows, doors, and gym improvements at the middle school. These are long-overdue updates to buildings that date from the 1960s. Athletic infrastructure has been a persistent tension point. The main field has deteriorated enough to close at times, and residents have repeatedly rejected proposals to install artificial turf, defeating such measures in February 2022, May 2024, and October 2024. This means students train and compete on aging grass surfaces, a trade-off families prioritizing strong athletic programs should weigh.

Property taxes remain a consideration. Recent operating budgets have pushed near the state tax cap, with the district citing rising health insurance and pension costs outpacing the tax cap allowance. The housing market in Red Hook itself shows mid-range values typical of rural Dutchess County, with home prices and rental costs reflecting the region's farmland-conservation strategy that limits sprawl. An incoming affordable-housing project on North Broadway is planned for 2027-2028 occupancy, which may gradually ease affordability pressures.

The broader community context matters for school life. Red Hook's walkable village center has maintained a mix of longtime businesses and newer ventures, and the school is walkable from downtown. Bard College's presence shapes local culture and job availability, with education as the dominant employment sector. Trail development is connecting the village to regional hiking networks, and Amtrak service is available a short drive away in Rhinecliff, opening commute options to New York City for families considering the area.

The district is piloting new programming and managing aging infrastructure in a conservation-minded community that values schools but has shown restraint on certain facility upgrades. For families drawn to a smaller rural setting with career-tech options and village walkability, Red Hook offers that profile. Those seeking extensive state-reported academic data or highly competitive athletic facilities should investigate further with the school and district before deciding.

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Academic performance

How students graduate and prepare for what comes next.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

90-94%Cohort of 158 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.

Advanced Placement & IB

33 subjects offered · 2023-24

Each card is one AP or IB subject. The headline number is the share of students scoring 3 or higher on the exam — the threshold for college credit at most universities. The bar below each rate shows the underlying distribution across performance levels.

Score:12· no credit345· extremely well qualified

Math and Computer Science

Calculus AB

13 tested

92.3%

scored 3 or higher

Calculus BC

4 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Computer Science Principles

19 tested · Grade 10

68.4%

scored 3 or higher

Sciences

Biology

7 tested

85.7%

scored 3 or higher

Chemistry

8 tested · Grade 10

87.5%

scored 3 or higher

History and Social Sciences

European History

36 tested · Grade 10

66.7%

scored 3 or higher

U.S. History

45 tested

84.4%

scored 3 or higher

World Languages and Cultures

Spanish Language and Culture

3 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Arts

Music Theory

6 tested · Grade 10

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

International Baccalaureate

Ib Biology HL

6 tested

83.3%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Chemistry HL

7 tested

100.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Chemistry SL

1 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib History Hl History of the Americas

20 tested

85.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Language a Language and Literature English HL

2 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Language a Language and Literature English SL

1 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Language a Literature English HL

21 tested

71.4%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Language B French HL

3 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Language B French SL

3 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Language B German HL

1 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Language B German SL

2 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Language B Spanish HL

7 tested

85.7%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Language B Spanish SL

4 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Mathematics Analysis and Approaches SL

26 tested

84.6%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Mathematics Applications and Interpretation HL

1 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Mathematics Applications and Interpretation SL

10 tested

60.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Philosophy HL

1 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Physics SL

17 tested

82.4%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Psychology SL

13 tested · Grade 9

53.8%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Sports Exercise and Health Science SL

7 tested

71.4%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Visual Arts HL

1 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Other

Language and Comp

43 tested · Grade 10

76.7%

scored 3 or higher

Literature and Comp

15 tested · Grade 10

86.7%

scored 3 or higher

World History

1 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

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
Science	177	75.0%
Social Studies	159	86.0%
Ela	132	89.0%
Math	98	87.0%

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.