Schools in Watchtower · Pine Bush Central School District, Wallkill Central School District
Watchtower’s public schools score below 60% of New York districts
The public schools Watchtower’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 60% of New York’s districts on state tests and graduation.
Reading proficiency
45%
▼ 17 pts vs NY 62%
2020–21
Math proficiency
38%
▼ 18 pts vs NY 56%
2020–21
Graduate on time
93%
▲ 10 pts vs NY 84%
class of 2020
Spent per student
$28.0K
▼ 19% vs NY $34.6K
FY2024
Schools
0
The School Grade
How Watchtower compares
C− Test scoresA− Graduation
New York school districts we grade (781)Better than 40%
Lower resultsHigher results
High confidence. Built on 1,736 tested students and a graduating class of 464; ordinary year-to-year swings are unlikely to change it.
How the School Grade works
- Results, not inputs. Math and reading proficiency on New York’s state tests against the state average, plus the four-year graduation rate. Spending and class size are shown but don’t count. Tests: 2020–21; graduation: class of 2020.
- The whole path. A town’s grade follows its kids through every district that serves it, weighted by students tested. Tests count 60%, graduation 40%.
- Graded within the state. Each state writes its own tests, so districts are compared with the rest of New York only. A+ is the top 5%, A the next 10%, A− the next 10%, the B range the next 30%, the C range the next 30%, D the rest.
- What a grade can’t tell you. Test results track family income, so we also compare towns with similar incomes. Visit, ask other parents, and read neighbor reviews. It’s our own summary of U.S. Department of Education data, not an official rating.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Watchtower (some depend on your address).
6 schools teach Pre-K in Watchtower’s district. Which one depends on your address: Pine Bush Elementary School, E J Russell Elementary School, Circleville Elementary School and Ostrander Elementary School and more.
7 schools teach K in Watchtower’s district. Which one depends on your address: Pine Bush Elementary School, E J Russell Elementary School, Circleville Elementary School and Ostrander Elementary School and more.
7 schools teach 1st grade in Watchtower’s district. Which one depends on your address: Pine Bush Elementary School, E J Russell Elementary School, Circleville Elementary School and Ostrander Elementary School and more.
7 schools teach 2nd grade in Watchtower’s district. Which one depends on your address: Pine Bush Elementary School, E J Russell Elementary School, Circleville Elementary School and Ostrander Elementary School and more.
7 schools teach 3rd grade in Watchtower’s district. Which one depends on your address: Pine Bush Elementary School, E J Russell Elementary School, Circleville Elementary School and Ostrander Elementary School and more.
7 schools teach 4th grade in Watchtower’s district. Which one depends on your address: Pine Bush Elementary School, E J Russell Elementary School, Circleville Elementary School and Ostrander Elementary School and more.
7 schools teach 5th grade in Watchtower’s district. Which one depends on your address: Pine Bush Elementary School, E J Russell Elementary School, Circleville Elementary School and Ostrander Elementary School and more.
5 schools teach 6th grade in Watchtower’s district. Which one depends on your address: Crispell Middle School, Ostrander Elementary School, Circleville Middle School and Leptondale Elementary School and more.
The path, start to finish
PK–67 schoolsDepends on your address
7–83 middle schoolsDepends on your address
9–122 high schoolsDepends on your address
Two districts serve Watchtower
Each district’s own page has its spending, test scores, enrollment and every school.
Pine Bush Central School DistrictGrades PK–12 · 7 schools · 4,710 students
$28,004NY $34,607
CWallkill Central School DistrictGrades PK–12 · 5 schools · 2,706 students
$29,175NY $34,607
B−Test scores · 2020–21
Well below the state in reading
Reading · PK–12, Pine Bush Central School District45%
State average 62.4%
Reading · PK–12, Wallkill Central School District56%
State average 62.4%
Math · PK–12, Pine Bush Central School District38%
State average 55.9%
Math · PK–12, Wallkill Central School District54%
State average 55.9%
Watchtower vs. its neighbors
Watchtower’s schools rank 1st of 3 among the towns that share its borders. School Grade, by percentile among New York districts.
Every school in Watchtower
0 schools. Grades are ours, from state tests and graduation. Stars are from neighbors.
Also serving Watchtower · in other towns
Pine Bush Elementary School
D648 students16:1Rate it →
E J Russell Elementary School
C−524 students15:1Rate it →
Circleville Elementary School
D484 students16:1Rate it →
Ostrander Elementary School
B−481 students10:1Rate it →
Leptondale Elementary School
C460 students12:1Rate it →
Plattekill Elementary School
C426 students11:1Rate it →
Pakanasink Elementary School
D412 students15:1Rate it →
Crispell Middle School
C−614 students11:1Rate it →
Circleville Middle School
D466 students10:1Rate it →
John G Borden Middle School
C409 students9:1Rate it →
Pine Bush Senior High School
A−1,562 students15:1Rate it →
Wallkill Senior High School
A930 students12:1Rate it →
Parents talk
What Watchtower families are saying about school.
Parents weigh in
Live in Watchtower? Is a C+ for its schools right?
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Start the conversation
Within reach
Colleges →Colleges near Watchtower
There’s no college in Watchtower, but 15 are within 30 miles. The closest is State University of New York at New Paltz in New Paltz, 11.8 miles away.
State University of New York at New PaltzUniversity or college · Public · New Paltz
11.8 mi7,050 students
Yeshiva of OceanUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Wawarsing
14 mi57 students
Mount Saint Mary CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Newburgh
15.5 mi2,190 students
Orange County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Middletown
16.1 mi4,717 students
Ulster County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Marbletown
16.3 mi2,717 students
Yeshiva Ohr NaftoliUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · New Windsor
16.7 mi43 students
Marist UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Poughkeepsie
17.8 mi5,951 students
Culinary Institute of AmericaUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Hyde Park
18.6 mi3,015 students
Vassar CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Poughkeepsie
19.3 mi2,456 students
Dutchess Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Poughkeepsie
19.4 mi5,448 students
Straight-line distance from the center of Watchtower. Degree-granting colleges with students on campus · College Scorecard · IPEDS. 5 more within 30 miles.
School data: U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts, F-33 school finance). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within New York. Stars are from neighbors.