Dobbs Ferry Union Free School District is a grade

K–12 K–12, from kindergarten to 12th grade, is an American English expression that indicates the range of years of publicly supported primary and secondary education found in the United States, which is similar to publicly supported school grade ...

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

based in

Dobbs Ferry, New York Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 according to the 2010 United States Census. In 2019, its population rose to an estimated 11,027. The village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a p ...

, in the

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...

, approximately 20 miles north of

midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...

. The district is small as compared to most of the districts in

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

, with approximately 112 students per grade in three schools: Springhurst

Elementary School A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

; Dobbs Ferry

Middle School A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

; and Dobbs Ferry High School. The governing body of the school district is the elected

board of education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

, which contains seven members, each serving a three-year term. The board members elect a president and vice-president for one-year terms. The board of education hires the

superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

of the school district. The current superintendent is Kenneth Slentz.

Springhurst Elementary School

Springhurst Elementary School is a small

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

public

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

. Grades range from

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

to fifth grade.

Dobbs Ferry Middle School

Dobbs Ferry Middle School is a

coeducation Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

al public

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

. Grades range from sixth to eighth. Dobbs Ferry uses the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

(IB)

Middle Years Programme The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) is an educational programme for students between the ages of 11 to 16 around the world as part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum. Middle Year Programme is intended to pr ...

(MYP) throughout its curriculum.

Dobbs Ferry High School

Dobbs Ferry High School is a

al public

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and, since 1997, an

IB World School The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...

Athletics

Dobbs Ferry High School's small size enables a high percentage of students to join varsity and junior varsity teams. These teams compete in many sports, including squash, tennis, ping pong, racquetball, pickle ball and Turkish Oil Wrestling.

Parent and community support of school district

Parents in the district have founded several associated groups supporting and representing their interests in the district. These include: * Dobbs Ferry Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA): known elsewhere as the "PTA" but including high school student representatives, the PTSA is the formal body by which parents support the students. * Dobbs Ferry Schools Foundation: raises funds through an annual gala to supplement school programs and teacher training. * SPRING Community Partners: ensures that all children in the district have the resources they need to succeed in school and beyond. * Dobbs Ferry Trailguides: a support and advocacy group for children, founded by parents of children with special needs.

Geographic boundaries

The Dobbs Ferry school district's boundaries are not identical to those of the

Village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

Dobbs Ferry Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 according to the 2010 United States Census. In 2019, its population rose to an estimated 11,027. The village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a p ...

. Some residents of the Ardsley Park neighborhood of the village of Irvington fall in the Dobbs Ferry school district. All residents of the

Northfield Northfield may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Northfield, Aberdeen, Scotland * Northfield, Edinburgh, Scotland * Northfield, Birmingham, England * Northfield (Kettering BC Ward), Northamptonshire, England United States * Northfield, Connec ...

neighborhood of Dobbs Ferry, and some residents of the Knoll and Southfield neighborhoods, fall in the Ardsley school district. Residents in properties straddling borders with neighboring districts get to choose.

History

The first purpose-built school building in the village was on Main Street, built in 1857, roughly opposite the present town hall. That served until 1896, when a new building was completed on Broadway, just south of the present High School, on what had been the Appleton estate. That 1896 building was doubled in size in the early 20th century with an addition on the back. The addition became the high school, and the front part was the elementary school. The building was dedicated Dec 22, 1896, and the ceremony was recounted in the Dec 25, 1896, issue of the Dobbs Ferry Register, on page 1. The present high school was a WPA project, begun in 1934 and completed in 1936. The 1896 building and the 1936 building sat side by side and comprised the entire school system until Springhurst School was building on the former F. Q. Brown estate in the late 1950s. There was a long battle in the village over whether to build Springhurst. Many times, it was put to a vote and defeated, even though the old buildings were overcrowded and students in many grades were on "double session"—meaning some went from very early in the morning until mid-day and others started at mid-day and stayed until late afternoon. After Springhurst was built, the 1896 building became the middle school, housing grades 5 through 8. In the 1960s or early 70s, Springhurst was expanded and the 1896 building, which was becoming structurally unsound, was demolished. (Additional Source: Personal recollections as a student in the schools (James Luckett) 1955 - 1966.)

References

External links

Dobbs Ferry Union Free School DistrictHigh School Principal's CornerDFHS Facebook PageDFHS Principal's BlogThe Digital Eagle, the online student newspaper
{{coord missing, Hudson Valley School districts in Westchester County, New York