Richfield Springs Junior/senior High School, Richfield Springs NY

Original Research by School Decision on Richfield Springs Junior/senior High School

Richfield Springs Junior/Senior High School is a small, combined grades seven through twelve school within the Richfield Springs Central School District, located at the center of a rural village in north-central Otsego County. The school serves a student body of about that size, drawn almost entirely from the surrounding village and town, with the student population being predominantly white and the community economically mixed. The school building sits on Main Street itself, integrated into the downtown rather than set apart on a campus.

The school's most recent state testing data, from 2024-25, shows uneven performance across grades and subjects. In mathematics, eighth graders performed substantially above the midpoint for proficiency, while seventh graders achieved proficiency at less than half the rate. English language arts showed a larger spread: seventh graders struggled markedly, while eighth graders achieved proficiency at roughly the midpoint. Science proficiency in eighth grade sat just above the midpoint. Grade six results were too small to report. When viewed as an overall proficiency index across all tested grades and subjects, the school ranks in the top quartile relative to districts in Otsego County, suggesting stronger performance than many of its county neighbors, though the underlying results are volatile by grade.

The school faces real weaknesses in seventh-grade English and mathematics, where proficiency rates fall well below state standards. A parent evaluating the school might want to ask directly about what seventh-grade support structures exist and whether the school has identified why that cohort's results lag so markedly compared to eighth graders. The testing data is thin in some respects; free-and-reduced-price-lunch counts, special education enrollment, and English learner identification are not available in the data provided, so families would need to seek that context from the school itself.

The district recently won voter approval for a multi-year capital project to replace aging roof and fitness infrastructure and upgrade windows at the school building, reflecting a commitment to facility improvement. The 2026-27 operating budget passed in May, continuing a pattern of voter-approved annual spending plans. These data points signal active maintenance and local investment, though the facility was built long ago and ongoing work is still in the planning phase.

Richfield Springs village itself is small and historically rooted, with a walkable Main Street anchored by locally owned shops, restaurants, and civic anchors like Spring Park and the public library. The housing market is affordable relative to New York State and national benchmarks. The area has experienced long-term population decline from its 19th-century resort peak, though recent state funding for downtown revitalization and adaptive reuse of historic buildings suggests a shift toward stabilization and reinvestment. The labor base is mixed white- and blue-collar, concentrated in health care, education, and retail.

For families considering Richfield Springs, the school offers integration into a small, walkable downtown community with lower housing costs. Academically, the school shows strength relative to its county peers in overall proficiency, though grade-level volatility and notably weak seventh-grade results warrant direct inquiry. The small size means limited course breadth and extracurricular options compared to larger schools, a trade-off inherent to serving a small community.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=80%Cohort of 24 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.

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	40	53.0%
Social Studies	34	68.0%
Ela	24	83.0%
Math	20	80.0%

Math

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 880%

School 80% · District 80%

▲ 43 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 728%

School 28% · District 28%

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

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 52%

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

Science

Grade 862%

School 62% · District 62%

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

This schoolRICHFIELD SPRINGS 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 7Lower-income21%Higher-income50%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income56%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income38%Higher-income63%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income75%Higher-income89%14 pp gap