Is Poughkeepsie Middle School a good school?

Poughkeepsie Middle School ranks in the bottom 3.1% of New York middle schools.

How many students attend Poughkeepsie Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 872 students attended Poughkeepsie Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Poughkeepsie Middle School?

Students at Poughkeepsie Middle School are 48% African American, 40% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 3% White.

Poughkeepsie Middle School

Summary:

Poughkeepsie Middle School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in the Poughkeepsie City School District, with 877 students. Despite significant per-student spending, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of New York middle schools over the past decade, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Poughkeepsie Middle School significantly underperforms the state and district averages on standardized tests, with only 20-23% of students proficient in ELA and 2-18% proficient in math, compared to state averages of 44-52%. The school also struggles to serve its diverse student population, with African American, Hispanic, and students with disabilities all ranking in the bottom 50% of New York middle schools in their respective subgroups. Interestingly, nearby middle schools like Rombout Middle School and Orville A. Todd Middle School outperform Poughkeepsie Middle School by 20-30 percentage points on state assessments, despite serving similar high-need populations.

Despite increased spending and resources, Poughkeepsie Middle School has not shown meaningful improvement in its state rankings or academic proficiency over the past decade, suggesting the need for a comprehensive review of its educational model and targeted interventions to support its high-need population. Comparing the school's performance to higher-performing nearby middle schools may provide insights into effective practices that could be replicated to help Poughkeepsie Middle School better serve its students.

Detail:

Public 6-8

55 College Ave
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603-3313

(845) 451-4800

District: Poughkeepsie City School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1458^th of 1,504 New York Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,292

Student/teacher ratio: 11.5

Number of students: 872

Racial breakdown:

African American:

47.6%

Hispanic:

40.0%

Two or more races:

7.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 80.4%

See top rated New York middle schools

Compare Poughkeepsie Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Poughkeepsie Middle School ranks worse than 96.9% of middle schools in New York. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 7.72. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (47.6%), Hispanic (40%), two or more races (7.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 80.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Poughkeepsie Middle School is 11.5. (See more...)

Compare Poughkeepsie Middle School employs 75.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Poughkeepsie Middle School is $19,292.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Poughkeepsie Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Poughkeepsie Middle School 1458^th of 1504 New York public middle schools. (See Poughkeepsie Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle 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.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Poughkeepsie Middle School.

What do you think?

Your rating for Poughkeepsie Middle School?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Poughkeepsie Middle School

Compare

Rank History for all students at Poughkeepsie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2006	17.25	919^th	1095	16.1%
2007	9.76	1014^th	1123	9.7%
2008	16.81	1003^rd	1185	15.4%
2009	27.15	966^th	1224	21.1%
2010	17.69	1027^th	1243	17.4%
2011	13.88	1125^th	1295	13.1%
2012	10.61	1202^nd	1337	10.1%
2013	14.47	1218^th	1373	11.3%
2014	13.93	1270^th	1401	9.4%
2015	12.68	1305^th	1407	7.2%
2016	10.43	1371^st	1429	4.1%
2017	13.40	1348^th	1455	7.4%
2018	9.95	1377^th	1438	4.2%
2019	9.10	1380^th	1439	4.1%
2021	12.17	1168^th	1242	6.0%
2022	10.28	1421^st	1479	3.9%
2023	9.13	1440^th	1500	4.0%
2024	7.72	1458^th	1504	3.1%

See the entire list of New York Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Poughkeepsie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2019	10.53	125^th	126	0.8%
2022	16.70	166^th	190	12.6%
2023	13.02	193^rd	208	7.2%
2024	28.99	157^th	220	28.6%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Poughkeepsie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	29.29	431^st	503	14.3%
2019	27.60	415^th	473	12.3%
2022	32.27	430^th	581	26.0%
2023	28.51	496^th	591	16.1%
2024	26.87	545^th	615	11.4%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Poughkeepsie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	23.78	1084^th	1170	7.4%
2019	22.46	1075^th	1139	5.6%
2022	22.63	1194^th	1283	6.9%
2023	15.71	1289^th	1307	1.4%
2024	17.56	1261^st	1303	3.2%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	13.90	1197^th	1245	3.9%
2019	13.12	1201^st	1241	3.2%
2021	20.98	828^th	935	11.4%
2022	12.87	1249^th	1306	4.4%
2023	11.34	1238^th	1288	3.9%
2024	9.97	1263^rd	1296	2.5%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Poughkeepsie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	23.38	402^nd	457	12.0%
2019	16.57	378^th	392	3.6%
2022	17.03	462^nd	487	5.1%
2023	19.17	493^rd	543	9.2%
2024	21.60	526^th	594	11.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at Poughkeepsie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	11.07	1296^th	1353	4.2%
2019	9.47	1315^th	1370	4.0%
2021	12.21	1008^th	1066	5.4%
2022	11.25	1380^th	1454	5.1%
2023	11.12	1385^th	1463	5.3%
2024	7.13	1433^rd	1465	2.2%

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

Rank History for Military Connected students at Poughkeepsie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	1.20	14^th	14	0.0%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Poughkeepsie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	10.29	1319^th	1352	2.4%
2019	9.88	1335^th	1366	2.3%
2021	13.33	1004^th	1071	6.3%
2022	11.04	1393^rd	1455	4.3%
2023	9.17	1419^th	1464	3.1%
2024	10.30	1411^th	1464	3.6%

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

Rank History for African American students at Poughkeepsie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	18.39	606^th	663	8.6%
2019	17.73	605^th	653	7.4%
2021	31.49	182^nd	253	28.1%
2022	20.37	610^th	706	13.6%
2023	17.62	623^rd	696	10.5%
2024	14.69	659^th	705	6.5%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Poughkeepsie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	19.21	730^th	810	9.9%
2019	17.23	750^th	826	9.2%
2021	30.84	318^th	449	29.2%
2022	14.97	855^th	914	6.5%
2023	16.91	864^th	943	8.4%
2024	13.90	901^st	953	5.5%

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

Rank History for White students at Poughkeepsie Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	8.64	735^th	763	3.7%
2023	17.42	694^th	772	10.1%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle 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
Thursday, May 6, 2010

My son currently attends Poughkeepsie Middle School. Although communication of events is sometimes lacking, we have been very happy with the school over all during his first year attending. My son takes Cello, and is in honors classes, offered for science, english and social studies. The kids maintaining high honors in 5th grade were given the option of taking a foreign language, as well. They are also preparing these students for a pre-calculus class, to be offered next year. I feel Poughkeepsie Schools have an undeserved poor reputation. Our son has attended Poughkeepsie city schools for 4 years now, and we have been happy with his experience. The school is pro-active with conflict resolution and offers more programs than the suburban district we had moved from. We are looking forward to next year, when our son will be able to start the sports programs,he's signed up for among other sports, Swimming and Crew. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Poughkeepsie Middle School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	276	476	13	22	0	n/a	n/a	0	787
1990	262	482	13	26	6	n/a	n/a	0	789
1991	254	481	14	22	3	n/a	n/a	0	774
1992	279	520	15	32	2	n/a	n/a	0	848
1993	291	533	9	32	0	n/a	n/a	0	865
1994	258	556	6	31	0	n/a	n/a	0	851
1995	244	570	7	49	0	n/a	n/a	0	870
1996	244	570	7	49	0	n/a	n/a	0	870
1997	245	596	9	73	1	n/a	n/a	0	924
1998	263	601	7	80	1	n/a	n/a	0	952
1999	250	573	6	66	3	n/a	n/a	0	898
2000	268	582	9	56	4	n/a	n/a	0	919
2001	277	649	14	91	4	n/a	n/a	0	1035
2002	211	769	17	117	1	n/a	n/a	0	1115
2003	211	769	17	117	1	n/a	n/a	0	1115
2004	212	702	16	158	1	n/a	n/a	0	1089
2005	199	724	13	158	1	n/a	n/a	0	1095
2006	137	602	12	127	1	n/a	n/a	0	879
2007	147	616	6	138	0	n/a	n/a	0	907
2008	119	565	8	156	0	n/a	n/a	0	848
2009	165	625	9	201	0	n/a	n/a	0	1000
2010	145	616	7	228	0	n/a	n/a	0	996
2011	138	626	14	235	2	0	2	0	1017
2012	124	605	2	226	2	9	0	0	968
2013	119	591	3	235	3	11	11	0	973
2014	96	573	10	263	2	0	14	0	958
2015	92	557	8	290	1	0	19	0	967
2016	86	509	7	303	0	0	28	0	933
2017	74	501	2	292	1	6	38	0	914
2018	69	482	4	302	1	5	51	0	914
2019	59	478	5	346	2	4	60	0	954
2020	68	439	4	360	0	1	72	0	944
2021	62	422	4	364	1	0	79	0	932
2022	52	421	4	362	2	1	79	0	921
2023	39	424	3	334	2	3	72	0	877
2024	28	415	6	349	1	3	69	1	872

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 Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	787	79.9	9.8	n/a
1990	789	78.6	10.0	n/a
1991	774	78.3	9.8	n/a
1992	848	77.9	10.8	n/a
1993	865	69.1	12.5	n/a
1994	851	68.4	12.4	48.8
1995	870	68.6	12.7	54.4
1996	870	68.6	12.7	54.4
1997	924	64.0	14.4	62.6
1998	952	65.0	14.6	59.3
1999	898	71.7	12.5	63.3
2000	919	68.6	13.4	72.8
2001	1035	80.6	12.8	77.6
2002	1115	80.8	13.8	79.9
2003	1115	80.8	13.8	79.9
2004	1089	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	1095	82.0	13.4	80.1
2006	879	73.0	12.0	83.7
2007	907	66.8	13.6	85.1
2008	848	74.8	11.3	76.9
2009	1000	86.9	11.5	76.9
2010	996	85.8	11.6	82.1
2011	1017	68.8	14.7	89.6
2012	968	82.5	11.7	94.1
2013	973	86.0	11.3	87.9
2014	958	86.0	11.1	86.8
2015	967	81.0	11.9	86.6
2016	933	74.0	12.6	79.8
2017	914	74.7	12.2	79.6
2018	914	72.0	12.6	68.7
2019	954	72.8	13.0	78.1
2020	944	100.8	9.3	83.1
2021	932	82.5	11.2	72.2
2022	921	78.6	11.7	76.2
2023	877	76.6	11.4	81.6
2024	872	75.2	11.5	80.4

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 Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	787	79.9	9.8	n/a
1990	789	78.6	10.0	n/a
1991	774	78.3	9.8	n/a
1992	848	77.9	10.8	n/a
1993	865	69.1	12.5	n/a
1994	851	68.4	12.4	48.8
1995	870	68.6	12.7	54.4
1996	870	68.6	12.7	54.4
1997	924	64.0	14.4	62.6
1998	952	65.0	14.6	59.3
1999	898	71.7	12.5	63.3
2000	919	68.6	13.4	72.8
2001	1035	80.6	12.8	77.6
2002	1115	80.8	13.8	79.9
2003	1115	80.8	13.8	79.9
2004	1089	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	1095	82.0	13.4	80.1
2006	879	73.0	12.0	83.7
2007	907	66.8	13.6	85.1
2008	848	74.8	11.3	76.9
2009	1000	86.9	11.5	76.9
2010	996	85.8	11.6	82.1
2011	1017	68.8	14.7	89.6
2012	968	82.5	11.7	94.1
2013	973	86.0	11.3	87.9
2014	958	86.0	11.1	86.8
2015	967	81.0	11.9	86.6
2016	933	74.0	12.6	79.8
2017	914	74.7	12.2	79.6
2018	914	72.0	12.6	68.7
2019	954	72.8	13.0	78.1
2020	944	100.8	9.3	83.1
2021	932	82.5	11.2	72.2
2022	921	78.6	11.7	76.2
2023	877	76.6	11.4	81.6
2024	872	75.2	11.5	80.4

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.

Immunization Rates