Valhalla Schools & Culture (New York, White Plains: homes, school district, university)

[AnotherAstorian]

I am planning to move up to Westchester but haven't settled on exactly where. Does anyone have any insight into the quality of the Valhalla school district, and the general culture of there? In particular:

(i) Valhalla SD has a somewhat lower "rank" than some other Westchester SDs, but is that because the other schools are exceptional and Valhalla is "just" good/very good?

(ii) I've read that Valhalla tends to be more conservative politically than other areas of Westchester - is that accurate?

(iii) Is there much to do in Valhalla or nearby towns/hamlets?

Thanks!

[ZppennD]

1. Valhalla is mixed income. Those “exceptional” districts are nearly all wealthy to super rich people.

2. Not nearly as much as surrounding Hawthorne/Thornwood but less liberal than some other towns but it’s still a liberal leaning town I believe.

3. Valhalla is super small and super boring. You will spend much of your time in white plains, Pleasantville

[AnotherAstorian]

Helpful - thank you!

[ironlex]

Valhalla HS is ranked 10/10 (top 5%) here:
https://www.publicschoolreview.com/n...chester-county

[AnotherAstorian]

Originally Posted by ironlex

Valhalla HS is ranked 10/10 (top 5%) here:
https://www.publicschoolreview.com/n...chester-county

Thank you! It looks like the middle school and elementary schools are much lower rated. Any insight as to why?

[globetrekker96]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. In my opinion, it’s a suitable place to live for all ages.

The positive aspects are the 30 minute commute to the city by train, sidewalks and a cute downtown that is literally split by a Parkway, and a 5 minute commute to White Plains. Everything you need to accomplish (food, shopping, car maintenance, etc) can easily be accomplished.

The downtown section of Valhalla is not White Plains, but the good news is if you familiarize yourself with the store owners they will remember you.

The Kensico Dam has walking areas and sits at the bottom of the watershed. They also have holiday-themed events. For example, they have “Winter Wonderland” which is occurring now. If you are in the area you can check it out at night.

[LouisaHeron]

Originally Posted by ZppennD

1. Valhalla is mixed income. Those “exceptional” districts are nearly all wealthy to super rich people.

This is the reason. It's mixed income. All of those statistics are just average test scores, and in districts where all the residents are wealthy the scores are higher because the kids are more advantaged.

I work with several people whose kids are in the Valhalla schools. They all happen to be very nice and very down-to-earth. I don't think Valhalla is "boring" because it's right next to White Plains and other areas of Westchester where there is a lot to do,

[westchesterbuyer123]

The schools are actually very good because they have very small class sizes. However, because the town is a little more blue collar, SOME of the students tend to not care academically. However, those that do care..do well. I had many friends attend great colleges. My father was a plumber but I did well and went to a very good university with a high-paying job.

As for the conservative point... it may have changed but I graduated high school in 2008 and it was very, very conservative.....and I know there is still a large blue-collar pro -TRUMP population

[ckhthankgod]

Some students live in this area known for its black middle class population in the district’s southern end closer to White Plains: https://greenburghny.com/DocumentCen...dens-Community

Parkway Homes is the portion in the Valhalla SD and even in this 1970 yearbook, you see a decent mix of students: https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/4182798883

This block group covers that particular area that is within the district: https://censusreporter.org/profiles/...estchester-ny/
Older information from 2010: Census Block Group 010902-2 in Westchester County, New York

Of the 173 black households in the district, 92 of them make $200k or more. Another 43 make between $150k-$199,999. https://data.census.gov/table?t=Blac...5Y2021.B19001B
Even further, the black median household and family income in the district is $202,853: https://data.census.gov/table?t=Blac...5Y2021.B19013B
https://data.census.gov/table?t=Blac...5Y2021.B19013B


From the high school’s Football and Men’s Basketball teams: https://www.twitter.com/valhallanyfb?lang=en

https://www.twitter.com/VikingsHoop

So, there is another aspect to the school district.

[ckhthankgod]

^From the Parkway Homes Civic Association Facebook page, which mentions a school board meeting at the HS: https://www.facebook.com/100064814646332/