Is Vails Gate Steam Academy a good school?

Vails Gate Steam Academy ranks 1525 th of 2445 New York elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Vails Gate Steam Academy?

In the 2023-24 school year, 482 students attended Vails Gate Steam Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Vails Gate Steam Academy?

Students at Vails Gate Steam Academy are 64% Hispanic, 19% African American, 11% White, 4% Two or more races.

Vails Gate Steam Academy

Summary:

Vails Gate Steam Academy is an elementary public magnet school located in New Windsor, New York, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 477 students. The school is part of the Newburgh City School District, which is ranked 728 out of 865 school districts in New York and has a 1-star rating out of 5 from SchoolDigger.

Vails Gate Steam Academy has consistently ranked in the bottom half of New York elementary schools, with a statewide ranking between 1525 and 2260 out of around 2,400 schools over the past 10 years. The school's performance on state assessments is generally below the Newburgh City School District and New York state averages across grades and subjects. For example, in 2023-2024, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math were 18.75% and 35.29% for 3rd grade, 44.62% and 61.43% for 4th grade, and 34.15% and 46.99% for 5th grade, compared to the district averages of 22.93%, 38.65%, 35.46%, 47.63%, 29.91%, and 38.47%, respectively. The school's performance on state science assessments for 5th grade is also below the district and state averages, with a proficiency rate of 34.15% in 2023-2024 compared to 28.73% for the district and 35% for the state.

Vails Gate Steam Academy's performance varies across different student subgroups, with relatively better performance for African American and Hispanic students, but significantly lower performance for White students, English Language Learners, and students with special needs. Despite the school's relatively high per-student spending and low student-teacher ratio, its academic performance remains below average, suggesting that the school may need to re-evaluate the effectiveness of its resource allocation and instructional practices. When compared to nearby schools, Meadow Hill School in the Newburgh City School District performs better, while Sargent School in the Beacon City School District and Little Britain Elementary School in the Washingtonville Central School District also outperform Vails Gate Steam Academy.

Detail:

Public, Magnet K-5

400 Old Forge Hill Rd
New Windsor, NY 12553

(845) 563-7900

District: Newburgh City School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1525^th of 2,445 New York Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,514

Student/teacher ratio: 9.8

Number of students: 482

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

64.1%

African American:

19.3%

White:

11.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 67.8%

See top rated New York elementary schools

Compare Vails Gate Steam Academy to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Vails Gate Steam Academy ranks worse than 62.4% of elementary schools in New York. It also ranks 4^th among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Newburgh City School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 37.4. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (64.1%), African American (19.3%), White (11.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 67.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Vails Gate Steam Academy is 9.8, which is the 2^nd best among 9 elementary schools in the Newburgh City School District. (See more...)

Compare Vails Gate Steam Academy employs 49 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Vails Gate Steam Academy is $19,514, which is the highest among 9 elementary schools in the Newburgh City School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Vails Gate Steam Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks Vails Gate Steam Academy 1525^th of 2445 New York public elementary schools. (See Vails Gate Steam Academy in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Newburgh City School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Newburgh City School District 728^th of 865 New York school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Vails Gate Steam Academy

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Rank History for all students at Vails Gate Steam Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2006	37.16	1610^th	2206	27.0%
2007	37.92	1590^th	2219	28.3%
2008	31.80	1727^th	2227	22.5%
2009	25.90	1891^st	2257	16.2%
2010	21.38	1908^th	2263	15.7%
2011	17.25	1987^th	2286	13.1%
2012	15.65	2050^th	2320	11.6%
2013	16.09	2072^nd	2325	10.9%
2014	10.02	2233^rd	2345	4.8%
2015	11.51	2192^nd	2352	6.8%
2016	9.39	2250^th	2366	4.9%
2017	9.00	2281^st	2386	4.4%
2018	10.09	2253^rd	2395	5.9%
2019	11.26	2260^th	2413	6.3%
2021	14.79	1964^th	2201	10.8%
2022	24.70	1914^th	2434	21.4%
2023	32.63	1667^th	2439	31.7%
2024	37.40	1525^th	2445	37.6%

See the entire list of New York Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Vails Gate Steam Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	32.13	694^th	938	26.0%
2019	32.37	622^nd	860	27.7%
2021	36.31	288^th	454	36.6%
2022	33.00	695^th	1027	32.3%
2023	44.97	471^st	1001	52.9%
2024	38.39	630^th	1066	40.9%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Vails Gate Steam Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	22.82	1767^th	1941	9.0%
2019	27.23	1477^th	1859	20.5%
2021	36.48	655^th	1044	37.3%
2022	27.79	1638^th	2031	19.4%
2023	28.52	1523^rd	2016	24.5%
2024	31.51	1478^th	2110	30.0%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Vails Gate Steam Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	14.61	1931^st	2045	5.6%
2019	16.62	1877^th	2032	7.6%
2021	18.32	1523^rd	1678	9.2%
2022	24.03	1758^th	2099	16.2%
2023	34.98	1313^th	2041	35.7%
2024	39.82	1197^th	2078	42.4%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Vails Gate Steam Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	19.01	681^st	730	6.7%
2019	31.20	448^th	570	21.4%
2021	30.82	53^rd	70	24.3%
2022	58.37	198^th	622	68.2%
2023	49.67	279^th	637	56.2%
2024	40.08	447^th	766	41.6%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Vails Gate Steam Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	9.96	2231^st	2338	4.6%
2019	12.43	2206^th	2357	6.4%
2021	11.55	1822^nd	1955	6.8%
2022	22.89	1957^th	2401	18.5%
2023	36.41	1539^th	2403	36.0%
2024	41.56	1405^th	2413	41.8%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Vails Gate Steam Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	12.53	2190^th	2340	6.4%
2019	13.31	2172^nd	2358	7.9%
2021	17.66	1716^th	1961	12.5%
2022	28.45	1808^th	2400	24.7%
2023	30.57	1714^th	2400	28.6%
2024	34.66	1607^th	2411	33.3%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Vails Gate Steam Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	20.01	834^th	948	12.0%
2019	19.40	789^th	891	11.4%
2021	35.60	275^th	427	35.6%
2022	40.45	530^th	936	43.4%
2023	42.61	474^th	857	44.7%
2024	55.47	348^th	927	62.5%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Vails Gate Steam Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	15.87	1285^th	1392	7.7%
2019	17.90	1193^rd	1315	9.3%
2021	23.95	684^th	818	16.4%
2022	35.43	1019^th	1503	32.2%
2023	46.36	719^th	1429	49.7%
2024	48.32	702^nd	1531	54.1%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Vails Gate Steam Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	31.16	1076^th	1408	23.6%
2019	33.76	947^th	1338	29.2%
2023	40.65	834^th	1337	37.6%
2024	70.26	367^th	1392	73.6%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: NY State Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: NY State Education Department

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Saturday, June 22, 2019

This is a great school with very caring and dedicated teachers. We have had a great experience with this school. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Vails Gate Steam Academy

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	337	221	9	71	0	n/a	n/a	0	638
1990	317	237	15	71	0	n/a	n/a	0	640
1991	246	186	10	56	0	n/a	n/a	122	620
1992	277	217	12	91	0	n/a	n/a	0	597
1993	285	217	6	93	0	n/a	n/a	0	601
1994	292	206	8	95	0	n/a	n/a	0	601
1995	277	198	12	119	0	n/a	n/a	0	606
1996	277	198	12	119	0	n/a	n/a	0	606
1997	266	199	11	120	0	n/a	n/a	0	596
1998	244	207	12	129	0	n/a	n/a	0	592
1999	250	210	13	149	0	n/a	n/a	0	622
2000	252	188	16	174	0	n/a	n/a	0	630
2001	215	189	10	180	0	n/a	n/a	0	594
2002	221	191	13	189	0	n/a	n/a	0	614
2003	221	191	13	189	0	n/a	n/a	0	614
2004	216	201	22	201	0	n/a	n/a	0	640
2005	208	188	22	225	0	n/a	n/a	0	643
2006	204	186	26	229	0	n/a	n/a	0	645
2007	177	190	25	246	1	n/a	n/a	0	639
2008	153	202	25	251	2	n/a	n/a	0	633
2009	141	194	25	272	3	n/a	n/a	0	635
2010	126	181	24	276	3	n/a	n/a	0	610
2011	106	162	20	278	3	0	4	0	573
2012	87	147	19	276	3	0	7	0	539
2013	83	140	16	306	2	0	14	0	561
2014	83	151	15	324	1	0	18	0	592
2015	78	149	22	311	0	0	18	0	578
2016	77	155	24	315	1	0	22	0	594
2017	71	138	25	309	1	0	26	0	570
2018	65	136	22	317	1	0	26	0	567
2019	62	142	15	304	1	0	30	0	554
2020	59	126	13	324	1	0	29	0	552
2021	57	119	9	305	1	0	23	0	514
2022	57	116	7	303	1	0	26	0	510
2023	54	103	4	296	0	0	20	0	477
2024	54	93	4	309	1	0	21	0	482

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Vails Gate Steam Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	638	38.4	16.6	n/a
1990	640	38.6	16.5	n/a
1991	620	37.6	16.4	n/a
1992	597	36.9	16.1	n/a
1993	601	36.1	16.6	n/a
1994	601	37.1	16.2	46.8
1995	606	39.1	15.5	46.2
1996	606	39.1	15.5	46.2
1997	596	34.1	17.5	48.3
1998	592	37.2	15.9	48.6
1999	622	41.1	15.1	48.2
2000	630	41.1	15.3	55.9
2001	594	44.0	13.5	60.6
2002	614	42.7	14.4	60.6
2003	614	42.7	14.4	60.6
2004	640	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	643	43.0	15.0	63.1
2006	645	42.0	15.4	65.9
2007	639	41.6	15.4	67.4
2008	633	42.6	14.9	70.9
2009	635	43.0	14.8	73.4
2010	610	42.0	14.5	72.6
2011	573	42.2	13.5	73.3
2012	539	39.0	13.8	77.4
2013	561	41.0	13.6	80.9
2014	592	42.0	14.0	84.1
2015	578	44.0	13.1	83.4
2016	594	45.0	13.2	85.9
2017	570	42.1	13.5	78.1
2018	567	45.0	12.6	72.3
2019	554	47.0	11.7	73.5
2020	552	50.0	11.0	71.9
2021	514	47.0	10.9	74.1
2022	510	48.0	10.6	63.3
2023	477	48.0	9.9	66.7
2024	482	49.0	9.8	67.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Vails Gate Steam Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	638	38.4	16.6	n/a
1990	640	38.6	16.5	n/a
1991	620	37.6	16.4	n/a
1992	597	36.9	16.1	n/a
1993	601	36.1	16.6	n/a
1994	601	37.1	16.2	46.8
1995	606	39.1	15.5	46.2
1996	606	39.1	15.5	46.2
1997	596	34.1	17.5	48.3
1998	592	37.2	15.9	48.6
1999	622	41.1	15.1	48.2
2000	630	41.1	15.3	55.9
2001	594	44.0	13.5	60.6
2002	614	42.7	14.4	60.6
2003	614	42.7	14.4	60.6
2004	640	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	643	43.0	15.0	63.1
2006	645	42.0	15.4	65.9
2007	639	41.6	15.4	67.4
2008	633	42.6	14.9	70.9
2009	635	43.0	14.8	73.4
2010	610	42.0	14.5	72.6
2011	573	42.2	13.5	73.3
2012	539	39.0	13.8	77.4
2013	561	41.0	13.6	80.9
2014	592	42.0	14.0	84.1
2015	578	44.0	13.1	83.4
2016	594	45.0	13.2	85.9
2017	570	42.1	13.5	78.1
2018	567	45.0	12.6	72.3
2019	554	47.0	11.7	73.5
2020	552	50.0	11.0	71.9
2021	514	47.0	10.9	74.1
2022	510	48.0	10.6	63.3
2023	477	48.0	9.9	66.7
2024	482	49.0	9.8	67.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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