Area Schools

The principal school districts in Tompkins County are Ithaca, Lansing, Groton, Dryden, Newfield, and Trumansburg.  These six districts lie completely or almost entirely within the county.  There are another ten or twelve districts that are further away, but still within a very reasonable commute of Ithaca, the employment center for our region. 

There are many wonderful schools and dedicated teachers in our area, and I cannot emphasize enought the importance of school visits to find the right one for your child.  Please don't go by test scores alone, or the recommendations of colleagues as to the "best" schools.

The Ithaca Consolidated School District is the largest in the area.  Eight elementary schools -- Belle Sherman, Beverly J. Martin, Caroline, Cayuga Heights, Enfield, Fall Creek, Northeast, and South Hill -- are for pupils Grades K-5.  Belle Sherman, BJM, Caroline, and Northeast students go on to DeWitt Middle School; Cayuga Heights, Enfield, Fall Creek, and South Hill feed into Boynton Middle School.  The Ithaca district also includes the Lehman Alternative Community School, a portfolio-based program for students grades 6-12.  A charter school, New Roots, currently serves students in grades 6-8 but plans to grow to a full 6-12 program.

The Dryden Central School system has three primary schools for children K-2:  one in the Village of Dryden, Cassavant in the hamlet of McLean, and Freeville in the Village of Freeville.  As of third grade all children attend Dryden Elementary School, and then the Junior/Senior High School.

The other county schools are Lansing, Groton, Newfield, and Trumansburg.

The outlying school districts, clockwise (more or less) from the north are:  Southern Cayuga, Moravia, Homer, Cortland, Newark Valley, Candor, Spencer-Van Etten, Odessa-Montour, Horseheads, Watkins Glen, and South Seneca.