Hudson Valley School District Voted Best for One Special Reason

While there's no lack of school pride in the Hudson Valley, where they rank in the state is a different story. One local school, however, is receiving top honors for one special reason.

A new ranking of New York schools was recently released by niche.com, and while not a single Hudson Valley school district was included in the top 20 for academics, one Orange County, NY district came in second in the entire state for achievements outside the classroom.

Best School Districts in New York State

Growing up in Ulster County, NY, I attended Rondout Valley Central Schools (above), a district absent from all of niche.com's recent rankings. While I still have very fond memories of my time in public school, Rondout Valley has recently come under fire from the state after multiple errors in asset management were uncovered during a audit. A school in neighboring Orange County, NY, however, is celebrating.

Cornwall Central School District on List for Student Athletes

Cornwall Central School District in Cornwall on Hudson, NY was recently ranked second in the state on the latest list of "best schools for student athletes" by niche.com. The district, which ranked 64th in the state for academics, was listed behind only Victor Central School District in Victor, NY for athletes.

Cornwall Central School District in Cornwall on Hudson, NY

The school district's overall ranking comes from public reviews by current and former students, as well as parents and district residents. Cornwall Athletics' official website boasts "~2,000 STUDENTS - 29 PROGRAMS - 63 TEAMS - 4 LEVELS - 3 SEASONS" including golf, bowling, swimming, and skiing in addition to more traditional offerings like basketball and soccer.

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Hudson Valley, NY School Mascots

Cornwall's Green Dragon mascot may have added to their ranking. As a Rondout Valley Gander (that's a male goose for the uninitiated), I know all-to-well how a mascot can add (or subtract) credibility from an athletics program. Check out the unofficial rankings of the most popular Hudson Valley mascots below.