Seven school districts across Orange, Dutchess, Ulster and Sullivan counties were identified in February 2026 as “Target Districts” by the New York State Education Department based on data from 2024-25.
The identification is part of a federally required assessment that measures student performance under the Every Student Succeeds Act school accountability status.
NYSED uses a set of accountability indicators for measuring K-12 public school performance for all students and subgroups, including student academic achievement, attendance, graduation rates for high schools and progress of English language learners. Subgroups comprise students with disabilities, students from economically disadvantaged segments and students from certain racial and ethnic groups.
Which mid-Hudson Valley districts are on state’s list?
Based on 2024-25 school year data, the local districts on the state’s targeted support list include:
What are Target Districts under ESSA?
The Every Student Succeeds Act was signed in 2015, reauthorizing the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act. An intermediate iteration of the act, No Child Left Behind, came about in 2002.
“Target Districts,” identified annually, are districts with at least one component school identified in the categories of Comprehensive Support and Improvement, Additional Targeted Support and Improvement, or Targeted Support and Improvement, according to NYSED. The districts receive financial grants and other NYSED guidance and monitoring plans for district and school development and improvements in student performance.
Federal funding allocations and plans for target districts
The districts identified under the support model are eligible for federal School Improvement Grants to ensure they have the fiscal resources required to implement sustainable improvement strategies, according to the NYSED announcement.
The strategies developed and monitored under the District Comprehensive Improvement Plan and School Comprehensive Education Plan may include instructional as well as non-instructional components, such as academic and mentorship programming, writing, staff professional development, data analysis to inform instruction, extra staffing to work with underperforming students, summer programming, and family communication and engagement, to name a few.
Listed alphabetically, here are the 2026-27 Title I 1003 School Improvement Grants for each district.
Fallsburg Central School District
Total district allocation for Fallsburg CSD is $345,900. Benjamin Cosor Elementary School in the Fallsburg district is on the TSI list.
“We don’t look at this as a negative,” said Ivan J. Katz, Fallsburg superintendent of schools, “we look at this as an opportunity for us to hone the art of education and to improve student achievement across all levels, not just in the areas that have been targeted.”
Goshen Central School District
Total district allocation for Goshen CSD is $145,500. Scotchtown Elementary was designated for TSI.
“We are using our grant money to focus on foundational literacy skills and best instructional practices,” said Thomas M. Bongiovi, interim superintendent of schools for Goshen Central School District, in an email.
Kingston City School District
Total district allocation for Kingston City School District is $1,035,500. George Washington Elementary School, John F. Kennedy Elementary School, Harry L. Edson Elementary School and M. Clifford Miller Middle School are on the targeted support list.
Kingston CSD’s communications office and superintendent were not available to comment.
Liberty Central School District
Total district allocation for Liberty Central School District is $222,500. The middle school is on the TSI list.
Patrick Sullivan, superintendent of schools for Liberty CSD, said having a school placed under a certain designation means that the community receives additional support and opportunities for progress, but it does not capture the full picture.
“Honestly, these state tests are one point in time,” said Sullivan as he cited Liberty’s own internal assessments and benchmark screeners for measuring student academic performance and social-emotional learning over the course of their education. “We have students that are very successful beyond Liberty, we have students that have built leadership skills, and there’s no way to measure that, right?”
Monticello Central School District
Total district allocation for Monticello Central School District is $691,200. Three schools were on the list: Rutherford Elementary for TSI, Cooke Elementary for ATSI and Kaiser Middle School for CSI.
Theresa Carlin, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, Monticello CSD, said, “We are very excited to learn the amount of our allocation so we can begin planning on the best way to maximize funding to give all of our students the best opportunities for improvement and growth.”
Newburgh Enlarged City School District
Total district allocation for Newburgh Enlarged City School District is $919,500. Heritage Middle School’s status is ATSI and South Middle School is in CSI.
A spokesperson for Newburgh highlighted the district’s recent progress, citing that for the first time in more than a decade, all elementary and K-8 school buildings in the district are in good standing and receiving local support.
“We know that there is still work to do and milestones of success that we still want to achieve,” the spokesperson said in an email. “However, it is important to celebrate our achievements where we can – and this is a big achievement.”
Poughkeepsie City School District
Total district allocation for Poughkeepsie City School District is $1,231,300. Both high and middle schools were identified under CSI.
Poughkeepsie City School District Public Information Officer Mike Benischek said, “We are confident the district, and our secondary schools, specifically, will soon improve in status, due to the steps we have taken in recent years and quantifiable data showing those steps have had positive impact.”
Contact reporter Vandana Saras at vsaras@usatodayco.com and @orangecountynyreporter on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: NY eyes 7 mid-Hudson Valley districts and sends funding their way
Reporting by Vandana Saras, Middletown Times Herald- Record / Times Herald-Record
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