Several hundred people come to the Keene Central School everyday making KCS the social heart of the Town. It is one of the largest employers in Keene. Students have rich and supportive social interactions across ages as well as within each grade. The sports calendar and the arts programs are equally valued and both enjoy a broadly supportive community. The educational programs are tied to the special sense of place one gets from living here, and growing up here. It is even supported by the High Peaks Education Foundation that funds a variety of special programs outside the school budget.
The KCS monthly calendar includes all the dates and times for plays, performances and other current school activities. The sports calendar is separate. Also, there is the important school lunch menu calendar. Then there is the annual School Year Calendar showing holidays, vacations, in-service days, the first and last school days, school board meetings, election dates, etc. School Closings are here as well.
US News and World Report (December 2008), announced their rankings of “America’s Best High Schools.” Keene Central was on the list! The district was awarded a Silver Medal ranking in the top 2% of high schools in the country. America’s Best High Schools recognizes three categories of distinction: gold, silver and bronze. Analysis is based on:
Standardized test performance
Proficiency rates of all students, including the least advantaged
Challenging college – ready curriculum
The NY State issues a report card on KCS. In fact there are three of them. The one about students is called the comphrensive report. There is also an overview and another about fiscal accountability. An independent review on the Great Schools website gives it a rare score of 8 points on a scale of 1 - 10 which is better than any of the three adjacent school districts which get ratings of 5 or 6.
The School Budget is available in detail. In terms of spending per student, it is in the top 10% of the public schools in the state but at the bottom end of that range. The immediately adjacent districts of Lake Placid and Elizabethtown spend less than the NY State average per student, but they perform poorly relative to Keene based on standardized test scores. The 2009-10 School Budget was passed by a vote of 206 to 40. State aid covers about 14% of the budget, much less than the average of about 36% in the ADK Park. One consequence of this is that as State money shrinks in the financial crisis, Keene will suffer fewer cuts and lower tax increases than any surrounding district.
Cynthia Ford Johnston is the KCS Superintendent and the person to reach (518-576-4555) for a school tour or to register your child for school.
The newest thing happening at KCS is a new Community Education Program for winter/spring 2011. Take a look and see what's being offered.
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