Port Chester Public Schools
Port Chester Public Schools, officially known as the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District,[1] is a school district headquartered in Port Chester, New York.
About 30% of the village of Rye Brook is in the district, and the remainder is in the Blind Brook School District.[2]
Demographics
As of October 2014, the district had 4,517 students. Port Chester’s students benefit from the diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds of the school population. Some families have lived in the district for generations, while many others have only recently immigrated to the United States. This cultural diversity enriches the school community and the educational environment.
Schools
The district has four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school.[1]
The Port Chester School District provides programs and services that reflect a quest for scholastic excellence combined with respect and concern for the worth and development of individual students. The District Mission is “Success for Every Student.”
Port Chester Middle School and the John F. Kennedy Magnet School have been named National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence. Port Chester High School is only the fourth public high school in Westchester to offer the prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma in addition to Advanced Placement courses.
Port Chester’s instructional program is designed to reach diverse learners, with a focus on supporting individual student progress. The district offers students interesting, challenging course work and many types of arts and cultural enrichment, including K-12 music and arts programs, state-of-the-art science facilities, and hands-on learning experiences including living history days. All school buildings are WiFi enabled, with computers in classrooms and dedicated computer labs/media centers.
The district also champions “full service community schooling” with in-house health clinics in 5 of the 6 schools, and dental available in all schools.
Secondary schools:
Port Chester High School houses grades 9-12, with 1,319 students in 2014–2015.
The students in Port Chester High School select from a range of options including honors, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses, a full complement of academic, art and music courses, and a broad range of extracurricular activities. Over 95% of graduates are college bound each year.
Academics: In 2014, over one-third of the student body successfully completed at least one Advanced Placement, Honors, or college level course offered through partnerships with Princeton University, Syracuse University, SUNY Oneonta and Westchester Community College. As of September 2014, students also have the option of pursuing an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or taking IB courses, as Port Chester High School became only the fourth public high school in Westchester to be IB certified. Enrollment in accelerated courses is open to students who have the desire to participate and the background, skills, and potential to be successful. In 2014, 72% of all AP exam scores were a 3 or better (nationally that number is 60%). 11 AP courses and 12 IB courses were offered in 2014–2015. World languages include Spanish, Italian, French. The school's strong music program includes vocal and instrumental instruction and participation in the NY State School Music Association. Honor Societies: National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta (mathematics), Tri-M (music), Science, Art, French, Italian and Spanish.
Co-Curricular and Athletic Activities: A range of clubs is available and is designed to meet students’ school-related interests and needs, including art, choir, theater, journalism, and student government. About one-third of students participate in at least one sport through a full interscholastic boys and girls sports program at the modified, junior and varsity levels. Port Chester High School's Marching Band has appeared in the movies Spider-Man 3 and Miracle on 34th Street (1994 film) and has performed in the 2003 Orange Bowl as well as the Disney World Festival of Lights. The band also participated in the 1997 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
A National Blue ribbon School of Excellence serving about 1,000 students in grades 6-8 in 2014–2015, where students are organized into “teams” each with a dedicated team of faculty members.
PCMS offers foreign language instruction, physical science instruction taught in the school’s Planetarium, hands-on experimental science courses taught in state-of-the-art science labs and accelerated English, math and science strands for gifted students. The curriculum is supplemented with living history days and school trips to theaters, historic sites and cities such as Boston and Washington D.C.
The school has a bi-annual exchange program with a middle school near Madrid, Spain. Character education and community service projects play a significant role in the life of students.
Extracurricular activities include sports teams, band, orchestra, choral groups, drama, astronomy and other clubs and groups. An after school program provides enrichment and academic support.
Port Chester has a comprehensive middle-school focused transition program from grade 5 to grade 6 and again from grade 8 to grade 9.
- Primary schools
Port Chester has four elementary schools. Each school serves students in grade K-5 with a total elementary population of 2,160 students in 2014–2015. The district has full day Kindergarten. Students are assigned to elementary schools by neighborhood zones.
- Thomas A. Edison School, 426 students (2014), is a National School of Character
- John F. Kennedy (JFK) Magnet School, 903 students (2014)in 3 separate buildings, is a National Blue Ribbon School with a math, science and technology focus. It offers a comprehensive bilingual program to its students
- King Street School, 412 students (2014), was recognized as a High Performing/Gap Closing School by the NY State Education Department
- Park Avenue School, 419 students (2014), offers a K-5 dual language program as an option for entering Kindergarten students
While each school has a distinct culture, all offer the same challenging curriculum. An emphasis is placed on literacy and math skills, including digital literacy computerized instruction. Students are also involved in a grade-appropriate, hands-on inquiry based science curriculum.
Dual language and bilingual programs are offered and a K-5 character education program is central in each school. The schools take full advantage of local resources. These include partnerships with IBM and Pepsico for student mentoring and programs in computing and science. An artist-in-residence program enables students to interact with professional artists in a variety of activities — singing, painting, sculpting, dancing, acting and storytelling. Class trips enhance the learning experience by connecting the classroom to the “real” world at large. After school programs provide both academic support and enrichment.
References
- ^ a b Platzman, Cheryl. "IF YOU'RE THINKING OF LIVING IN/RYE BROOK, N.Y.; 1 Close-Knit Village, 2 School Districts." (Correction Appended) The New York Times. July 2, 2000. p. 2. Retrieved on July 8, 2013. "In the Port Chester school district -- officially, the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District -- there are four elementary schools, a middle school and a high[...]"
- ^ Platzman, Cheryl. "IF YOU'RE THINKING OF LIVING IN/RYE BROOK, N.Y.; 1 Close-Knit Village, 2 School Districts." (Correction Appended) The New York Times. July 2, 2000. p. 1. Retrieved on July 8, 2013.
