The top reported proficiency rate is 100% in Social studies. The lowest is 42% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on George Grant Mason Elementary School
George Grant Mason Elementary sits on Hillside Avenue in the Town of Tuxedo, just outside the gates of Tuxedo Park village, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Tuxedo Union Free School District. It is a very small school by any measure, and almost everything about its academic profile needs to be read with that in mind: each tested grade cohort is so small that a handful of students moving either way can swing results considerably.
The school feeds directly into George F. Baker High School, which serves grades six through twelve. Publicly reported information indicates that George Grant Mason has earned national STEM certification from the National Institute for STEM Education, making the Tuxedo district the first in New York State to hold that distinction at both the elementary and high school levels. A district-wide STEM curriculum called the Tuxedo STEM Academies is described as fully integrated into daily instruction rather than offered only as electives. That is a genuine programmatic strength, and families who want STEM emphasis from the earliest grades will find it here in a way that is unusual for a district this size.
On the New York State assessments, results vary by grade and subject and should be taken as a rough signal rather than a precise measure, given the small number of students tested in each cohort. Across grades three through five in math and ELA, proficiency rates are mixed: some cohorts approach or exceed the majority of students testing proficient, while others fall below half. Fifth-grade ELA is the high point among recent results; third-grade ELA and fifth-grade math are weaker. Science results from fifth grade are in a similar middle range. Taken together, the overall proficiency index places the school above the midpoint when compared to districts across Orange County, which is a reasonable position given the small numbers involved. Trend data was not available in the payload, so it is not possible to say whether results are improving or declining. A parent who wants more detail on performance patterns over time may want to ask the school directly.
The student body is notably mixed in composition relative to the village setting. White students make up half the enrollment, Hispanic students account for roughly a third, and Black students are the next largest group. Close to a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not reported in the available data, so those figures are gaps a family with specific support needs should ask the school to clarify.
The community context is unusual. Tuxedo Park village itself, where the school's address places it, is a gated, almost entirely residential enclave with no commercial spaces, three man-made lakes, and a character rooted in Gilded Age estate architecture. There is no walkable town center within the gates. Everyday services, the school building itself, and the commuter rail station on the Metro-North Port Jervis Line are all in the broader Town of Tuxedo hamlet just outside. For families who value outdoor access, Bear Mountain-Harriman State Park and Sterling Forest State Park together surround the town.
The housing market attached to this zip code is far above both the state and national median home values, with year-over-year appreciation running well ahead of the state average. Rental data was not available. The cost of entry here is high by any regional standard.
The district is operating under a contingency budget for the 2025-26 school year, after voters rejected the proposed budget twice, the second time by a narrow margin. Publicly reported accounts indicate that contingency status restricts new contracts, equipment, and bus purchases. This is a live tension families should track, because it reflects both fiscal constraints and a divided local electorate on school spending. On the facility side, voters did approve a capital project that includes a secured-entry vestibule for the elementary school, which has been or is being installed.
For a family drawn to small-school intimacy, a committed STEM identity, and proximity to significant natural parkland, with the means to enter a very expensive housing market, George Grant Mason is a coherent choice. The academic results are neither strong enough to anchor a decision nor weak enough to be a disqualifier on their own, and the budget situation is worth watching as the district heads into the next cycle.
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