Wallkill School District (Warwick, Newburgh, Montgomery: transplants, for sale, apartment) - City-Data Forum

Katherinevelez · 10-22-2010, 11:14 AM

Hello all,

My husband and I are looking to move in the area and have been searching for homes. We found a home in the Town of Newburgh, but on the border of Orange County and Ulster County. The school district is Wallkill, which I have been hearing is better than the Newburgh School District. Anybody have any advice on the Walkill School District?

Thanks for any advice!

Kathy

bluerose84 · 11-07-2010, 05:19 PM

Wallkill is a much better school district than Newburgh. Newburgh schools have a lot of bullying and questionable gang activity. I HIGHLY recommend getting into the Valley Central School District, which does cover parts of Wallkill. I am a VC alum and cannot say enough good about it.

OrangeHudson · 11-08-2010, 08:20 AM

You have to remember Newburgh is the biggest school district in Orange County. Every school has their bullying, fights, food fights etc. If you come to learn (not thinking school is time to play around) and hang around with the good friends Newburgh is not that bad. The school district offers A LOT of programs.

Dreamshot · 11-08-2010, 07:16 PM

I'll second bluerose84's comment on Valley Central (VC). I am also an Alum and it is one of the top schools in Orange County. Look into housing in Montgomery. If you are dead set on the house in the Town of Newburgh, then go for the Wallkill Schools as this is a better choice than Newburgh Schools.

psych918 · 12-14-2010, 04:34 PM

Dear Katherinevelez, I don't want to cause any grief. But finding your post I am compelled to respond. If you are looking at a property bordering between Orange and Ulster, located on Tiffany Lane, please know that there is a family living there with two children, have been there for ten years, the home is in foreclosure (due to their landlord's financial status), and they have nowhere to go. They are simply being forced out due to no fault of their own. If this is not your property, please disregard. Again, forgive the intrusion, but felt you had the right to know. FYI the area is beautiful, neighbors great, and convenient location.

metar28 · 05-09-2012, 01:48 PM

We are considering Valley Central Schools for our children. I heard some discouraging news today from a former 1st grade teacher at Montgomery Elementary. This individual is also a VC graduate and life long Montgomery resident. She said that VC schools are NOT what they used to be. Said that there is now a presence of gang activity in the District, probably as a result of Lakeside Apartment / Condo residents. I have not heard of this issue in the VC schools. I know Washingtonville Schools have recently had gang trouble, but this is the first I am hearing of a problem at VC. Any thoughts out there?

Dreamshot · 05-09-2012, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metar28

We are considering Valley Central Schools for our children. I heard some discouraging news today from a former 1st grade teacher at Montgomery Elementary. This individual is also a VC graduate and life long Montgomery resident. She said that VC schools are NOT what they used to be. Said that there is now a presence of gang activity in the District, probably as a result of Lakeside Apartment / Condo residents. I have not heard of this issue in the VC schools. I know Washingtonville Schools have recently had gang trouble, but this is the first I am hearing of a problem at VC. Any thoughts out there?

How long ago did the former teacher go through VC? I went finished 3 years ago and can assure you that there were no outstanding issues then. Nothing hindered my ability to learn. My sister currently attends the high school and she hasn't had any issues either.

I also live a half mile from Lakeside (single family homes) and know some people that live there. No 'gangs' - perhaps a better word would be 'group' or 'clique.' Every school has its issues - drugs, groups/cliques/gangs, etc. are in every public school. Steer your children away from these types of things and everything will be fine. Bias aside, VC is a quality district.

jefslp · 05-13-2012, 05:06 PM

If you are willing to move up the line a few more miles, New Paltz schools are arguably better than most in the mid-hudson region. You will pay more for home/land in New Paltz than in Wallkill, but the investment is worth it if you have young children. Since New Paltz is a college town it has a lot going on etc. It is a very diverse community but everyone gets along. New Paltz schools were recently ranked by US News as ranked at #84 for NYS (ranked nationally at #651). It beat out many schools in Westchester and Long Island. Most who live in town are transplants from the lower part of the state. The town has a high rate of college educated people resulting in the community supporting quality schools.The schools offer small class sizes and start foreign language in first grade. The high school offers quite a lot for a small school district.

metar28 · 05-13-2012, 06:40 PM

I agree, New Paltz is great. It is a wonderful little town and I have heard nothing but good things regarding the schools. However, the inventory of resale homes for sale is sparse. Land is definitely more expensive and taxes are high. However, if you look at the quality of education your children will receive, the tradeoff in higher taxes is far less than you'd pay for a good private school. Unfortunately for us, we have immediate family in Orange County and it is closer for my husband's commute. As for mid-Hudson schools, the Cornwall school district actually ranked higher than New Paltz based on the NYS testing standards for 2010-2011. Out of 682 NYS schools, Cornwall ranked 117, Warwick ranked 129 and New Paltz ranked 210.