Towns with the best public schools in New York
Ranked by how far each town's public schools score above or below the New York average in math and reading proficiency, weighted by enrollment. 484 towns with 2,500+ residents.
Penfield ranks #21 of 484
+18.6 pts vs. the NY average in math + reading · Visit Penfield →
2
Palm Tree
Orange County
+30.4 pts
Math 84.5% · Reading 95%
3
Rye
+30.3 pts
Math 87.7% · Reading 91.6%
How this ranking works
For every public school in a town we take its latest math and reading proficiency and subtract the New York average for the same test. The town’s score is the average of those gaps, weighted by each school’s enrollment, so a big high school counts more than a small annex. Private schools aren’t included.
Each state writes its own tests, so these scores compare towns within New York only. We don’t rank a town unless at least 150 students in its schools were tested. Test data: EDFacts via Urban Institute Education Data Portal (SY2020-21).
Only towns with at least 2,500 residents are ranked; Census estimates for smaller places are too uncertain. Population and income: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Town photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each town’s page.