Is Poughkeepsie High School a good school?

Poughkeepsie High School ranks in the bottom 10.7% of New York high schools.

How many students attend Poughkeepsie High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,165 students attended Poughkeepsie High School.

What is the racial makeup of Poughkeepsie High School?

Students at Poughkeepsie High School are 46% African American, 41% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 5% White.

Poughkeepsie High School

Summary:

Poughkeepsie High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in the Poughkeepsie City School District, with 1,165 students. Despite its large size, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of New York high schools over the past decade, earning only 1 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger, indicating significant underperformance compared to state averages.

Poughkeepsie High School faces several key challenges. Academically, the school lags significantly behind state and district averages on Regents/Common Core exam proficiency rates across all subject areas, with only 8.93% proficiency in Algebra I compared to 31.42% statewide. The school also struggles with low graduation rates, ranging from 50.4% to 85.1% over the past few years, well below the state average of around 84-85%. Additionally, Poughkeepsie High School has extremely high chronic absenteeism, nearly double the state average, indicating a significant challenge with student engagement and attendance.

Interestingly, nearby schools like Spackenkill High School and John Jay Senior High School significantly outperform Poughkeepsie High School on academic metrics, graduation rates, and other key indicators, highlighting the stark contrast in educational outcomes between Poughkeepsie and its more affluent neighbors. Despite the school's higher-than-average spending per student, the persistent underperformance suggests the need for a comprehensive review of instructional practices, resource allocation, and strategies to address the root causes of the school's struggles.

Detail:

Public 9-12

70 Forbus St
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603-3313

(845) 451-4850

District: Poughkeepsie City School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1109^th of 1,242 New York High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,752

Student/teacher ratio: 13.4

Number of students: 1,165

Racial breakdown:

African American:

46.1%

Hispanic:

41.3%

Two or more races:

6.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 74.2%

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Compare Poughkeepsie High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Poughkeepsie High School ranks worse than 89.3% of high schools in New York. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.11. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Poughkeepsie High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (46.1%), Hispanic (41.3%), two or more races (6.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 74.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Poughkeepsie High School is 13.4. (See more...)

Compare Poughkeepsie High School employs 86.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Poughkeepsie High School is $17,752.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Poughkeepsie High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Poughkeepsie High School 1109^th of 1242 New York public high schools. (See Poughkeepsie High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Poughkeepsie City School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Poughkeepsie City School District 826^th of 865 New York school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Poughkeepsie High School

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Rank History for all students at Poughkeepsie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2005	15.74	813^th	935	13.0%
2006	15.45	851^st	986	13.7%
2007	19.02	846^th	1002	15.6%
2008	20.99	846^th	1027	17.6%
2009	20.08	896^th	1086	17.5%
2010	15.55	976^th	1117	12.6%
2011	16.78	1014^th	1165	13.0%
2012	14.21	1015^th	1198	15.3%
2013	11.18	1051^st	1217	13.6%
2014	17.34	1001^st	1237	19.1%
2015	19.78	1020^th	1255	18.7%
2016	27.54	930^th	1255	25.9%
2017	16.60	972^nd	1221	20.4%
2018	9.29	1099^th	1210	9.2%
2019	13.24	1035^th	1207	14.3%
2021	60.57	231^st	519	55.5%
2022	20.56	912^th	1190	23.4%
2023	12.37	1063^rd	1228	13.4%
2024	12.11	1109^th	1242	10.7%

See the entire list of New York High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Poughkeepsie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	3.83	271^st	272	0.4%
2024	6.39	298^th	306	2.6%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Poughkeepsie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	26.38	434^th	546	20.5%
2019	31.68	402^nd	565	28.8%
2022	43.70	249^th	481	48.2%
2023	24.46	504^th	583	13.6%
2024	20.83	581^st	637	8.8%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Poughkeepsie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	13.55	1043^rd	1095	4.7%
2019	13.05	1075^th	1132	5.0%
2022	16.68	938^th	1038	9.6%
2023	11.65	1096^th	1130	3.0%
2024	13.56	1095^th	1144	4.3%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Poughkeepsie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	10.22	1065^th	1154	7.7%
2019	14.60	1012^th	1179	14.2%
2022	23.52	851^st	1101	22.7%
2023	12.47	1023^rd	1155	11.4%
2024	12.67	1051^st	1170	10.2%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Poughkeepsie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	31.12	373^rd	498	25.1%
2019	34.88	337^th	493	31.6%
2022	22.19	344^th	389	11.6%
2023	15.51	503^rd	531	5.3%
2024	10.44	561^st	564	0.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Poughkeepsie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	9.85	1086^th	1176	7.7%
2019	14.79	1021^st	1193	14.4%
2022	19.44	907^th	1155	21.5%
2023	12.56	1043^rd	1197	12.9%
2024	14.14	1073^rd	1219	12.0%

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

Rank History for Male students at Poughkeepsie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	9.14	1090^th	1176	7.3%
2019	11.74	1049^th	1190	11.8%
2022	20.03	900^th	1154	22.0%
2023	13.29	1018^th	1191	14.5%
2024	10.66	1109^th	1211	8.4%

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

Rank History for African American students at Poughkeepsie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	17.04	615^th	679	9.4%
2019	22.65	561^st	686	18.2%
2022	31.91	402^nd	593	32.2%
2023	23.58	537^th	671	20.0%
2024	27.26	515^th	690	25.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Poughkeepsie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	21.78	649^th	791	18.0%
2019	28.60	584^th	815	28.3%
2022	30.54	512^th	760	32.6%
2023	23.01	662^nd	851	22.2%
2024	18.20	751^st	865	13.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Poughkeepsie High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	16.71	701^st	765	8.4%
2019	6.13	758^th	793	4.4%
2022	48.70	400^th	738	45.8%

See the entire list of Best New York High 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

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Enrollment information for Poughkeepsie High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1989	343	525	16	4	0	n/a	n/a	888
1990	309	571	23	13	1	n/a	n/a	917
1991	290	545	18	9	5	n/a	n/a	867
1992	295	566	17	20	3	n/a	n/a	901
1993	293	569	18	25	5	n/a	n/a	910
1994	295	581	12	25	3	n/a	n/a	916
1995	281	612	9	43	2	n/a	n/a	947
1996	281	612	9	43	2	n/a	n/a	947
1997	276	631	4	44	1	n/a	n/a	956
1998	254	646	6	56	1	n/a	n/a	963
1999	256	674	6	66	0	n/a	n/a	1002
2000	242	670	7	86	1	n/a	n/a	1006
2001	240	652	12	109	1	n/a	n/a	1014
2002	300	660	14	142	3	n/a	n/a	1119
2003	300	660	14	142	3	n/a	n/a	1119
2004	285	726	19	149	3	n/a	n/a	1182
2005	262	737	17	168	6	n/a	n/a	1190
2006	271	791	16	169	1	n/a	n/a	1248
2007	242	836	21	176	3	n/a	n/a	1278
2008	228	823	13	188	1	n/a	n/a	1253
2009	227	827	14	196	0	n/a	n/a	1264
2010	207	817	13	207	1	n/a	n/a	1245
2011	176	761	8	228	1	0	3	1177
2012	179	753	2	230	1	11	0	1176
2013	171	708	3	238	0	11	8	1139
2014	144	706	15	272	1	0	8	1146
2015	129	691	18	287	1	0	14	1140
2016	114	698	19	306	1	0	23	1161
2017	101	675	10	347	1	8	22	1164
2018	96	645	8	340	1	6	31	1127
2019	86	641	9	373	1	6	31	1147
2020	72	612	7	413	3	6	40	1153
2021	78	625	10	430	1	4	60	1208
2022	70	604	9	448	3	5	60	1199
2023	60	537	7	481	3	2	75	1165

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 Poughkeepsie High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	888	73.3	12.1	n/a
1990	917	76.7	11.9	n/a
1991	867	82.4	10.5	n/a
1992	901	79.0	11.4	n/a
1993	910	68.2	13.3	n/a
1994	916	65.7	13.9	40.1
1995	947	68.7	13.8	35.2
1996	947	68.7	13.8	35.2
1997	956	64.2	14.9	49.6
1998	963	66.7	14.4	50.4
1999	1002	72.8	13.8	47
2000	1006	75.0	13.4	29.5
2001	1014	83.8	12.1	57.9
2002	1119	81.4	13.7	60.7
2003	1119	81.4	13.7	60.7
2004	1182	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	1190	82.8	14.4	69
2006	1248	83.0	15.0	69.3
2007	1278	85.7	14.9	72.5
2008	1253	89.2	14.0	60.3
2009	1264	93.0	13.6	60.8
2010	1245	89.2	13.9	69.7
2011	1177	91.1	12.9	53.1
2012	1176	89.6	13.1	73
2013	1139	87.4	13.0	83.9
2014	1146	89.6	12.7	81.2
2015	1140	85.0	13.4	81.1
2016	1161	93.0	12.4	69.6
2017	1164	85.8	13.5	74.1
2018	1127	81.9	13.7	63.9
2019	1147	79.8	14.3	70.9
2020	1153	102.8	11.2	75
2021	1208	87.1	13.8	64.4
2022	1199	88.3	13.5	70.2
2023	1165	86.4	13.4	74.2

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 Poughkeepsie High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	888	73.3	12.1	n/a
1990	917	76.7	11.9	n/a
1991	867	82.4	10.5	n/a
1992	901	79.0	11.4	n/a
1993	910	68.2	13.3	n/a
1994	916	65.7	13.9	40.1
1995	947	68.7	13.8	35.2
1996	947	68.7	13.8	35.2
1997	956	64.2	14.9	49.6
1998	963	66.7	14.4	50.4
1999	1002	72.8	13.8	47
2000	1006	75.0	13.4	29.5
2001	1014	83.8	12.1	57.9
2002	1119	81.4	13.7	60.7
2003	1119	81.4	13.7	60.7
2004	1182	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	1190	82.8	14.4	69
2006	1248	83.0	15.0	69.3
2007	1278	85.7	14.9	72.5
2008	1253	89.2	14.0	60.3
2009	1264	93.0	13.6	60.8
2010	1245	89.2	13.9	69.7
2011	1177	91.1	12.9	53.1
2012	1176	89.6	13.1	73
2013	1139	87.4	13.0	83.9
2014	1146	89.6	12.7	81.2
2015	1140	85.0	13.4	81.1
2016	1161	93.0	12.4	69.6
2017	1164	85.8	13.5	74.1
2018	1127	81.9	13.7	63.9
2019	1147	79.8	14.3	70.9
2020	1153	102.8	11.2	75
2021	1208	87.1	13.8	64.4
2022	1199	88.3	13.5	70.2
2023	1165	86.4	13.4	74.2

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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