Chancellor Livingston Elementary School, Rhinebeck NY

Original Research by School Decision on Chancellor Livingston Elementary School

Chancellor Livingston Elementary is a regular public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Rhinebeck, a walkable historic Hudson Valley village. The school sits on a shared campus with the district's middle and high school at the edge of the village, near but not embedded in the downtown commercial core. The campus is within walking distance of the village center, with its mix of independent shops, cafes, and restaurants in period buildings dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.

The enrollment runs to roughly mid-size for its grade band, with about equal numbers of students across each grade from kindergarten through fifth. A modest portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic students and students of two or more races; other groups are represented in smaller numbers. Data on the share of students receiving special education services or English language support was not available.

In state testing results from the most recent year, the school shows a mixed pattern across grades and subjects. Fourth-grade math and English language arts proficiency run comparatively strong. Third-grade math and English also sit above the midpoint. Fifth-grade results, however, mark a notable dip: math and science proficiency both fall to just over half the students meeting state standards, and English language arts is lower than the earlier grades, though still above half. Science was tested only in fifth grade and shows the same softer result. Testing participation rates were generally high across grades, ranging from about mid-eighties to mid-nineties percent.

Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Dutchess County. This means the school sits among the stronger performers when stacked against its county peers as a whole, even though individual fifth-grade results warrant attention. A parent may want to look into the school's approach to upper-elementary instruction in mathematics and science, and what support structures exist for students who struggle in those areas as they move toward middle school.

The district recently launched an in-district pre-K program at Chancellor Livingston in partnership with the Rhinebeck Community Nursery School, beginning with a single full-day, play-based class in the 2024-2025 school year and expanding to a second class the following year. This offers families an on-site early-education pathway that feeds directly into kindergarten.

The village and surrounding town are experiencing housing pressure. Home prices in the area have risen notably, and rental costs have climbed substantially over recent years. A workforce housing development called Locust Hill, with roughly eighty affordable rental units, was in development planning and expected to begin construction around 2026. The Rhinecliff Amtrak station in the adjoining hamlet offers intercity rail service to New York City and beyond, and local bus transit connects Rhinebeck to Kingston and Poughkeepsie. Northern Dutchess Hospital, a community hospital, is the largest employer in the town. Civic anchors include the Starr Library on West Market Street and a town park system with trails, courts, a pool, and a playground.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 484%

School 84% · District 84%

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

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 368%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 80%

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 66%

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

Science

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 54%

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

Social studies

Grade 594%

School 94% · district not reported

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

This schoolRHINEBECK 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-income29%Higher-income78%49 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income60%Higher-income87%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income56%Higher-income68%12 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income40%Higher-income80%40 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income69%Higher-income89%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income58%15 pp gap