The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Saunders Trades & Technical High School
Saunders Trades and Technical High School is a four-year public career and technical school in Yonkers serving roughly a thousand students in grades nine through twelve. It sits within the Yonkers City School District, a mayoral-control system serving a dense, mixed-income city on the Hudson River where waterfront revitalization and film-studio development are reshaping downtown employment and housing.
The school's defining feature is its focus on career and technical pathways rather than traditional college-preparatory academics. That choice shapes everything: enrollment, curriculum structure, peer composition, and what families should expect from the school. The data available does not include program catalogs, articulation agreements with colleges or employers, or job-placement outcomes, so a parent considering this school would benefit from asking Saunders directly what industries and certifications it emphasizes, whether students earn dual credit or industry credentials, and where graduates go after high school.
State testing data for this school shows zero results, reflecting a methodological reality: New York State tests only students in grades eight and below on standardized assessments. A career and technical high school serving grades nine through twelve sits outside that tested population. This is not a measure of school quality; it is a gap in the available data. The school does not report a four-year graduation rate in the available sources, another common limitation for schools that have not been public-reporting entities. A parent should ask the school directly for its completion and placement data.
Demographically, Saunders enrolls a student body that is majority Hispanic, with substantial populations of Black and white students and smaller shares of Asian students. Most families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of Yonkers itself, where a large share of households are lower-income. The school draws students across a range of family circumstances and works at capacity for its grade band.
The broader context matters. Yonkers is a city in sustained growth and investment. Downtown has seen major private development, including luxury residential towers, film-studio campuses, and a revitalized waterfront. The city opened its first new public school in more than twenty years in the fall of 2024 and has announced additional new schools. Job growth is concentrated in health care, education, retail, and emerging media production. The Kawasaki Rail Car manufacturing plant and the Lionsgate Studios complex represent the kind of industries that career and technical schools often feed. Housing costs have risen, and the market is active, reflecting broader Westchester trends: home values in Yonkers are substantial, and rental prices are climbing year over year.
The school is part of a district operating under mayoral governance, a structure that concentrates decision-making power in the mayor's office rather than an elected board. This governance model has been the subject of state legislative debate and affects how parent input flows into district planning.
Among county school districts, Saunders ranks in the bottom quartile on a proficiency index, reflecting zero proficiency rates on state math, English language arts, and science assessments. Again, this reflects the fact that the school serves tested grades; the absence of a four-year graduation rate and other outcome measures means a full picture of what the school delivers is not available in the public data. The school's real value should be assessed through direct inquiry with administrators and staff about the career pathways offered, employer partnerships, credential programs, completion rates, and post-secondary trajectories. Those conversations, plus site visits and student or family testimonials, will give a prospective family a grounded sense of whether Saunders aligns with their child's interests and post-secondary goals.
See more original research from School Decision →