NEW PALTZ MIDDLE SCHOOL

NEW PALTZ MIDDLE SCHOOL is a middle-grades school of modestly sized scale in NEW PALTZ, New York, part of NEW PALTZ CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, serveing 381 students in grades 6 through 8. Compared to the state average of about 531 students per school, that is 28% leaner than typical.

Across the 4 schools in NEW PALTZ CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT (1,673 students total), NEW PALTZ MIDDLE SCHOOL accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, NEW PALTZ MIDDLE SCHOOL shows that 71% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 13% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, 5% Black, 4% Asian. That composition is broadly in line with Ulster County as a whole.

In terms of school funding signals, The school lists 47 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 8.1:1. The state averages around 10.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 26% of students at NEW PALTZ MIDDLE SCHOOL qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Ulster County runs at roughly 41%, so the school's eligibility rate is lower than the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, NEW PALTZ MIDDLE SCHOOL performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 65.3%, the actual is 65.8%, a residual of +0.5 points.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Ulster County indicate median household earnings sit near $86,271, roughly 38% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. NEW PALTZ MIDDLE SCHOOL is one of 45 public schools in Ulster County (combined enrollment of about 20,189 students).

The closest other public school is DUZINE SCHOOL, roughly 1.0 miles away. 6 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), NEW PALTZ MIDDLE SCHOOL ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 61.3%.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 25%: 509 students in 2018 compared to 381 in 2025. The White share of enrollment edged down from 79% to 71% over that span. Class-load math has fell: from 10.7:1 in 2018 to 8.1:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.