Overall, Mid-Hudson Valley residents are positive about the quality of schools in their community although just one in ten considers them to be excellent. At the other extreme, only 8% of residents describe the quality of their public schools as poor.
Residents’ assessments of the quality of public schools have remained fairly constant since 2002.
Putnam County residents continue to be more positive about the quality of their schools than residents in the other Mid-Hudson Valley counties. 82% of Putnam County residents describe public schools in their community favorably.
Residents of Sullivan County are less favorable about their public schools than residents living elsewhere in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Although about six in ten Sullivan County residents feel positively about the quality of their community’s public schools, 36% describe local schools as just fair or poor.
Five years ago, residents of Ulster County were considerably less enthusiastic about the quality of their schools than people living in other parts of the Mid-Hudson Valley. Today, their opinions closely mirror the region as a whole. 68% of Ulster County residents rate public schools in their community positively compared with 69% of Mid-Hudson Valley residents as a whole who have a favorable impression of their community’s public schools.
Interestingly, parents of school age children are no more or less positive about public schools in their community than Mid-Hudson Valley residents as a whole. 68% of parents with school age children rate public schools positively, and 31% do not.
African Americans are considerably less favorable about
public schools than Mid-Hudson Valley residents as a whole. 54% of African American residents feel
positively about the quality of local public schools, and 45% do not describe
their public schools favorably.
Residents who believe the Mid-Hudson Valley will still be their home for the next several years are much more positive about public schools in their community than those who intend to move within the next five years.
