County directory · New York · 2026–27
School districts in Dutchess County, NY
Dutchess County has 13 regular public school districts, enrolling 37,113 students in 2024–25. The largest is Wappingers Central School District (10,514 students, 28% of the county), followed by Arlington Central School District and Poughkeepsie City School District. All 13 offer kindergarten. New York sets no statewide kindergarten cutoff.
The 13 districts, largest first
| District and office | Grades | Schools | Students | Kindergarten | District office contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wappingers Central School District 25 CORPORATE PARK DR, HOPEWELL JUNCTION also serves Putnam County | Pre-K–12 | 15 | 10,514 | 678 | (845) 298-5000 |
| Arlington Central School District 144 TODD HILL RD, LAGRANGEVILLE | Pre-K–12 | 11 | 7,806 | 539 | (845) 486-4460 |
| Poughkeepsie City School District 18 S PERRY ST, POUGHKEEPSIE | Pre-K–12 | 7 | 3,887 | 263 | (845) 451-4950 |
| Hyde Park Central School District 11 BOICE RD, HYDE PARK | K–12 | 6 | 3,485 | 220 | (845) 229-4005 |
| Beacon City School District 10 EDUCATION DR, BEACON | Pre-K–12 | 6 | 2,613 | 191 | (845) 838-6900 |
| Red Hook Central School District 9 MILL RD, RED HOOK also serves Columbia County | Pre-K–12 | 3 | 1,596 | 91 | (845) 758-2241 |
| Spackenkill Union Free School District 15 CROFT RD, POUGHKEEPSIE | K–12 | 4 | 1,585 | 97 | (845) 463-7800 |
| Dover Union Free School District 2368 RT 22, DOVER PLAINS | K–12 | 4 | 1,344 | 79 | (845) 877-5700 |
| Pawling Central School District 515 RT 22, PAWLING also serves Putnam County | Pre-K–12 | 3 | 1,097 | 69 | (845) 855-4600 |
| Rhinebeck Central School District 45 N PARK RD, RHINEBECK | Pre-K–12 | 3 | 942 | 66 | (845) 871-5520 |
| Pine Plains Central School District 2829 CHURCH ST, PINE PLAINS also serves Columbia County | Pre-K–12 | 3 | 798 | 67 | (518) 398-7181 |
| Millbrook Central School District 43 ALDEN PL, MILLBROOK | Pre-K–12 | 4 | 782 | 43 | (845) 677-4200 |
| Northeast Central School District 194 HAIGHT RD, AMENIA also serves Columbia County | Pre-K–12 | 3 | 664 | 36 | (845) 373-4100 |
Dutchess County at a glance
Together the 13 districts run 72 schools from offices in 12 towns. The smallest by enrollment is Northeast Central School District, with 664 students; the median Dutchess County district has 1,585. By grade span: 10 Pre-K–12 and 3 K–12.
Kindergarten in 2024–25, counting the 13 districts that report a K grade: 2,439 children. The biggest kindergarten was Wappingers Central School District's, with 678; Arlington Central School District had 539, and the smallest, Northeast Central School District, had 36.
Dutchess County holds 13 of New York's 716 regular districts (1.8%) and 1.6% of its 2,338,849 public school students, ranking 11th of 62 counties by number of districts and 14th by enrollment. By size, 2 enroll 5,000 or more, 7 enroll 1,000 to 4,999 and 4 have fewer than 1,000 students, and the average school here has about 515 students.
5 districts reach past the county line: Wappingers Central School District (into Putnam County), Red Hook Central School District (into Columbia County), Pawling Central School District (into Putnam County), Pine Plains Central School District (into Columbia County) and Northeast Central School District (into Columbia County).
Which district am I in?
Each district draws its own attendance zones, so your home address decides it, and with 5 of Dutchess County's districts crossing county lines the county alone won't. There is no address lookup here; ask the district. Each one's own site:
Wappingers Central School District · Arlington Central School District · Poughkeepsie City School District · Hyde Park Central School District · Beacon City School District · Red Hook Central School District · Spackenkill Union Free School District · Dover Union Free School District · Pawling Central School District · Rhinebeck Central School District · Pine Plains Central School District · Millbrook Central School District · Northeast Central School District
What grade will my child be in?
More in New York
Every New York district by county · New York kindergarten cutoff
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