Red Hook Central School District

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Red Hook Central School District The Red Hook Central School District serves grades PK-12 across three public schools in New York.

It spans portions of the towns of Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Milan, Clermont and Livingston in Dutchess and Columbia counties.

International Baccalaureate education is intended to expand a student’s global perspective.Earlier this week, a new pers...
10/23/2026

International Baccalaureate education is intended to expand a student’s global perspective.
Earlier this week, a new perspective is exactly what Red Hook High School’s full IB diploma candidates received, high in the treetops of Hillsdale.
The Class of 2027’s full IB students visited the zipline and ropes course at Catamount Ski Resort on Monday. Each year, IB Theory of Knowledge teacher Bill Decker accompanies the students on a field trip that aligns with the IB Learner Profile.
“The purpose of the trip is to engage in an activity that encourages the students to take risks, work as a team and challenge themselves,” Decker said.
Decker said off-campus activities that encourage students to challenge themselves and be physically active was originally part of the IB program when it was started at the school two decades ago, and he’s brought it back since becoming the program’s CAS – or, Creativity, Activity, Service – coordinator three years ago.
Past trips have included an Escape Room in Poughkeepsie two years ago and rock climbing and cave exploring at Albany’s Indoor Rock Gym last year.
Red Hook’s IB program has boomed in recent years. A school-record 34 students graduated with a full IB diploma last year. While the Class of 2027 will not quite reach that number, roughly 25 participated in the ropes and zipline activity this week. IB offerings at the school have also grown; this year, Red Hook expanded on its IB English for All initiative by adding an option for students to take IB Literature and Performance, a class that incorporates the performing arts with the rigorous expectations of IB Literature.

There's nothing like a sunny Friday morning looking at new, crisp lines painted on a striking new track surface.This wee...
10/23/2026

There's nothing like a sunny Friday morning looking at new, crisp lines painted on a striking new track surface.

This week we painted the new lines, numbers and branding on our main athletic field between our high and middle schools, marking one of the final steps toward declaring our field renovation complete. Take a look here and check out a full photo gallery of both field renovation projects at redhookcentralschools.org/field-renovations

Linden Avenue Middle School and Mill Road Elementary School are being recognized among the top schools in New York, acco...
10/22/2026

Linden Avenue Middle School and Mill Road Elementary School are being recognized among the top schools in New York, according to U.S. News and World Report.
The publication released its 2027 lists for Best Middle Schools and Best Elementary Schools in each state Thursday, and both Red Hook Central School District institutions made the list. Previously, U.S. News and World Report ranked Red Hook High School the top high school in the region in their annual list.
The middle and elementary school rankings focused heavily on mathematics and reading/language arts state assessment proficiency and performance, with demographics factoring into the calculations. The publication did not create a national ranking for those school levels.
“We are incredibly proud to share this recognition with our faculty, staff, students and families, whose partnership, dedication, hard work and care for one another made it possible,” LAMS Principal Dr. Stacie Fenn Smith said. “I am also grateful for the support of our Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Janet Warden, whose commitment to our schools, gives us the resources and encouragement to do this work well.”
LAMS ranked 560th among New York middle schools and Mill Road was 910th among elementary schools.
In addition to the math and ELA exams factoring into the rankings, both schools feature extensive facilities and resources not found at all schools of their sort, such as the STEAM Innovation and Little Engineers rooms in Mill Road, the Piano Lab and flight simulators in LAMS; and a broad range of outdoor equipment and enrichment areas, including Mill Road’s garden and LAMS’ playground facilities.
“We are incredibly excited to receive this recognition and to be named among the top-ranked elementary schools in the region,” Mill Road Principal Dr. Brian Boyd said. “Our strong achievement in reading and mathematics is certainly something to celebrate, but we are just as proud of the engaging experiences our students have through STEAM, outdoor learning, and opportunities to collaborate, problem-solve, and learn from one another.
“This recognition is a wonderful reflection of our outstanding faculty and staff and their commitment to creating meaningful learning experiences for every child,” he said.
That these schools would earn recognition at the same time as Red Hook High School is no coincidence, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Janet Warden said.
“Our elementary and middle schools provide students a firm foundation for learning with instruction that takes a future-focused approach that prepares them to strive in high school and beyond graduation,” Warden said. “We are proud of the experience our students receive throughout their continuum at Red Hook. I am grateful to have principals who truly care and create enriching and supportive learning environments, and I thank the staff in each building who have worked hard to earn these national recognitions.”

Come to Red Hook High School this Friday to get an inside look at our new Winners Circle Project program while enjoying ...
10/21/2026

Come to Red Hook High School this Friday to get an inside look at our new Winners Circle Project program while enjoying cars and music.
The school's Red Hook Auto Club is hosting a free car show fundraiser Friday, Oct. 23 from 4 to 7 p.m., in support of the Winners Circle Project. All proceeds raised will go toward the program's ability to pay for materials to upgrade the car the students are building, in order to enjoy a deeper educational process and better compete with other schools.
At the show you'll be able to see some classic and unique cars, listen to music, take part in a fundraising raffle and explore the high school's auto shop and technology facilities. It's a great way to learn more about the unique educational opportunities our district and this community affords our students, and gain a deeper connection to the budding Winners Circle Project.
Come to the school Friday at 4 p.m. to take part in the fun!

Forty-two Red Hook High School students received scholarships and awards from more than 15 colleges and organizations at...
10/15/2026

Forty-two Red Hook High School students received scholarships and awards from more than 15 colleges and organizations at a small ceremony at the school earlier this month.
The awards recognized students for academic achievement, community service and involvement, intentions to explore specific fields of study and a variety of other factors. While some of the recognitions came with the promise of scholarship funding should the student choose to attend the awarding school, others included tokens like books.
The school planned to present the awards last June, but were unable to do so following the fire that forced the school’s closure for more than a month. Instead, the seniors received their awards from Student Services counselors on Oct. 1, during a small ceremony in the Performing Arts Center’s atrium following the annual Student Picnic. The timing of the presentation was strategic; each student was able to list the awards as honors on college applications, with some schools’ deadlines for early action beginning as early as today, Oct. 15.

Due to an unfriendly weather forecast, the Red Hook Auto Club's free car show fundraiser has been rescheduled to Friday,...
10/15/2026

Due to an unfriendly weather forecast, the Red Hook Auto Club's free car show fundraiser has been rescheduled to Friday, Oct. 23.
The event promises to provide an inside look at Red Hook High School's new Winners Circle Project program while featuring cars and music.
The event, which will be held from 5-8 p.m., is in support of the Winners Circle Project. All proceeds raised will go toward the program's ability to pay for materials to upgrade the car the students are building, in order to enjoy a deeper educational process and better compete with other schools.
At the show you'll be able to see some classic and unique cars, listen to music, take part in a fundraising raffle and explore the high school's auto shop and technology facilities. It's a great way to learn more about the unique educational opportunities our district and this community affords our students, and gain a deeper connection to the budding Winners Circle Project.
Come to the school Friday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m. to take part in the fun!

Don’t look now, but there’s a little more Red in Red Hook.As our athletic field renovation project rapidly approaches it...
10/14/2026

Don’t look now, but there’s a little more Red in Red Hook.
As our athletic field renovation project rapidly approaches its conclusion, the track between the high and middle schools has officially been resurfaced. While lines still need to be painted on the crisp, unbroken reddish orange, it’s one more exciting step toward seeing our Raiders on a pristine new field. Take a look and stay tuned for more soon!

10/09/2026

Red Hook school kitchens each welcomed special guests on Tuesday, as students from the Culinary Institute of America visited to learn from Red Hook's food services staff and assist with lunch service.
It's the latest step in a growing and mutually beneficial relationship between the Hyde Park institution and the Red Hook Central School District, as the CIA grows its ability to educate students and provide experience in institutional food service.
The students on Tuesday helped with the serving lines and registers. At the high school, they also assisted in developing the flavor of the sauce used in Wednesday's lasagna, under the guidance of staff.
The students will be back in November, when they help Red Hook with its annual NY November initiative by designing the menu for an entire day that will be unique while still meeting all requirements and guidelines for healthy school lunches.
The visit came in advance of National School Lunch Week, Oct. 12-16, in which we recognize the crucial importance to the educational experience of providing school meals and the impact made by school kitchen staff.

Mill Road Elementary School classes have been getting into the seasonal spirit with fall officially here.While pumpkin-t...
10/08/2026

Mill Road Elementary School classes have been getting into the seasonal spirit with fall officially here.
While pumpkin-themed lessons await next week when several classes will take a pumpkin-picking field trip, apples were on the menu for the past couple weeks, with classes using the fruit for everything from making in-class apple sauce to artistic prints.
Last week in Rebecca Burchins and Marissa Reyes’ kindergarten classes, students explored apples in all sorts of ways Johnny Appleseed could have never imagined.
In addition to tasting three types of apples to practice gathering and comparing preference information, the students used apples to test buoyancy in water and halved apples to make paintings, diagramed the parts and lifecycle of an apple, and even tried apple c***r donuts.
In case you’re wondering, yellow and red apples tied as favorite for the students in Ms. Burchins’ class. As for whether or not the apples floated… you’ll have to ask the kids.

More than two dozen Red Hook High School students engaged a video production and broadcasting retreat late last month at...
10/08/2026

More than two dozen Red Hook High School students engaged a video production and broadcasting retreat late last month at The Spark of Hudson, a nonprofit community learning hub and multi-use center in Hudson.
The event wasn't just attended by students; it was designed and taught by them.
The Sept. 30 retreat brought together students from Red Hook's Video Production class and the Red Hook Broadcasting Club (RHBC) for a day of hands-on learning in a real-world creative environment.
The idea started at the end of the last school year during discussions about how to better connect the RHBC and production class, while also addressing the challenge of training new members and improving club workflow. RHBC produces the school's daily morning broadcast, a task that takes about two hours of work each day between planning, filming and editing. One objective of the retreat was the build capacity by empowering more students to take on roles.
Visual and Media Arts teacher Kristin Larson, the club co-advisor, reached out to community organizations about hosting a student-designed retreat focused on skill-sharing and collaboration. The Spark of Hudson welcomed the idea and offered its event and collaboration space free of charge.
Five student instructors planned and ran the retreat. Over several weeks, the team studied what their peers needed and looked for ways to improve the club's workflow. They designed the curriculum, created their own teaching materials, and met repeatedly, including on Teams calls outside of school hours.
“Seeing these students take ownership, teach their peers and lead with confidence left me incredibly proud,” Larson said. “It was an inspiring and energizing way to kick off the school year. They saw what our program needed and built it themselves.”
RHBC President Shepherd Cohen served as head facilitator. He led the opening, transitions and closing, and taught two content creation workshops in which students brainstormed new segment ideas in groups and planned how to bring them to life.
Vice President Alisha Magun, with the help of Reggie McLaughlin, taught the editing workshop. Their preparation gave participants the hands-on skills to edit the daily show, which is helping develop a new generation of editors at the high school.
Wilder Greenberg led the anchoring workshop, with support from Allie Weber. They coached students on writing dynamic scripts and on the speaking and listening skills that make a confident on-air presence. Their energy and attention to detail helped participants leave ready to bring professionalism and fun to the morning broadcast.
Students left the Spark of Hudson able to edit the show, write stronger scripts, and speak with more confidence on camera. They also brought back a list of content ideas and concrete plans to make them happen.
RHBC thanks the Spark of Hudson for its generosity in hosting the retreat.
Co-advisors Steve Hutman and Larson were amazed by the incredible work of the instructors and participants.
“It’s difficult to put into words just how amazing and transformative this field trip was,” Larson said.

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Red Hook, NY

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

+18457582241

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