Conservative Jewish Family with children moving to Rockland NY (Ramapo: mover, houses)

[otmover]

I have been anxious about asking this question because I know people respond with strong feelings but I feel that I have to. My family (husband and 3 school aged children) are strongly considering a move to Rockland. We have been looking for years and were finally happy to find a place with houses and taxes we can afford. We are coming from an area where my children are the only Jewish children in their class frequently. Although I value diversity growing up in Brooklyn, and I hope to expose my children to the same I don't want them to be the only Jewish children in their class. The only information I can find when researching is the Hasidim and the understandable frustration due to issues in school system in those areas. Does anyone have guidance on a town I should look at that my children won't be the only Jewish children in their class? where there is some diversity? Thank you.

[Wells5]

I suggest contacting the"Jewish Federation of Rockland County." They would be able to answer your questions. See link.

https://jewishrockland.org/

Have you check out the Maplewood/ South Orange area in New Jersey?

[987ABC]

The clarkstown school district has a lot of secular jewish families. Your children will certainly not be the only jewish kid in their class. But realize that these families are not going to be orthodox or anything like that. But their is not much diversity at Clarkstown. Ramapo Central will also have a fair amount of jewish families - again secular. Also minimal diversity. East Ramapo is the most jewish area, but essentially has no secular jews - all are orthodox or hasidm and none of the kids are in the public school system. If your kid enrolled at East Ramapo not only would they be the only jewish kid in their class, they would likely be the only white one (I am presuming that you are white). The remaining districts will have small numbers of jews to varying degrees - maybe Nyack and South Orangetown a bit more than the others.

Basically, the top school districts in Rockland are Catholic/Secular Jewish, with little diversity.

[VA Yankee]

Agree with the above poster Clarkstown which is centered on the town of New City will find your kids in schools that are probably 50% Jewish or close to it. The town has a very large conservative and reform synagogues with more orthodox options available in the adjoining towns. Diverse is not a word I would use to describe New City, more like a loaf of white bread with a few raisons. Check it out and decide what's right for you, good luck.

[ckhthankgod]

Clarkstown does have decent sized Asian and Hispanic student populations, with some Black students as well. This may help: Search for Public Schools - Search Results

It is similar in the Ramapo SD, but there appears to be more balance in terms of Asian, Hispanic and Black students: Search for Public Schools - Search Results

So, while the diversity isn't balanced, about 25-33% of the students in those districts are non White/Hispanic, give or take.

[otmover]

Thank you! This was very helpful. Any thoughts on the Orangetown school system?

[987ABC]

Originally Posted by otmover

Thank you! This was very helpful. Any thoughts on the Orangetown school system?

There is no "orangetown school system". Most of Orangetown is in either the South Orangetown School District or the Pearl River School District. Some is in the Nanuet School District or the Nyack School District. The first two districts are entirely in Orangetown. The later two are split between Orangetown and Clarkstown.

[sithlord72]

Regardless, if u attend any school in rock land county, your kids will be deprived and your taxes wasted as most state funding goes to Little Mario's goons at the east Ramapo CSD. May I suggest looking across the Hudson in either Westchester, Putnam or Dutchess counties

[987ABC]

Originally Posted by sithlord72

Regardless, if u attend any school in rock land county, your kids will be deprived and your taxes wasted as most state funding goes to Little Mario's goons at the east Ramapo CSD. May I suggest looking across the Hudson in either Westchester, Putnam or Dutchess counties

This is completely wrong. Public Schools outside of cities are funded entirely by a school district. Each school district receives nearly all of its funding from property taxes paid by property owners within the district. A small portion comes from the State, but there is nothing to suggest that the State will give a district less simply because its in the same county as another district that gets more. State funding is done via a formula, and a major complaint coming out of East Ramapo is that the state funding formula underfunds them due to the incredible amount of children not attending the public schools. In any event, even if one were to believe that East Ramapo receives more than it should from the State, their is nothing to suggest that other districts in the county receive less as a result.

The East Ramapo SD has no effect whatsoever on other districts in the county. The large majority of districts in Rockland are excellent and well funded (most say too well funded) by taxes paid by property owners.

[VA Yankee]

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Districts like Clarkstown get far less state assistance because they are considered affluent and not as needy. East Ramapo has a far more modest demographic so the state assistance per student is higher but they still get less because so many of the "eligible" students are sent to private schools by their parents.