Rhinebeck Central School District

Rhinebeck Central School District (Rhinebeck CSD) is a school district primarily in the Town of Rhinebeck in the Hudson Valley region of the U.S. state of New York.^[1] The district is situated along the East Bank of the Hudson River and is approximately 90 miles north of New York City, and 61 miles south of Albany, approximately 26 miles south of Hudson, and 18 miles north of Poughkeepsie.

The district operates three schools; one primary, middle, and secondary school each. Throughout the district, there are about 963 students and 107 teachers.^[2] It entirely encompasses the Town of Rhinebeck, while also stretching into the towns of Red Hook, Milan, Clinton, and upper Hyde Park.^[3]

50% of the students are male, and the remaining 50 are female. 83% of the students are white, while the remaining 17% are a variety of races. 21% of the students come from low-income families, and 2% are learning English.^[4]

Prior to centralization, the Rhinebeck area was served by several small common school districts and the Rhinebeck Union Free School District. From 1909 to 1913, Harry Carman served as the principal of the original Rhinebeck High School before later becoming the Dean of Columbia College.^[5]

On April 19, 1939, a fire partially destroyed the Rhinebeck High School building, forcing the district to house many students in rented facilities throughout the village. This event accelerated discussions regarding the centralization of local schools, which had been considered periodically to improve educational opportunities. Although a state moratorium on new centralizations delayed the process until mid-1940, a Citizens' Committee on School Centralization was formed to pursue the initiative.^[6]

On June 27, 1941, residents voted 764 to 231 in favor of creating the Rhinebeck Central School District, consolidating 16 smaller districts across the towns of Rhinebeck, Clinton, Milan, Red Hook, Hyde Park, and Stanford.^[6]

Plans for a new central school building were stalled by World War II and subsequent construction restrictions. Following the war, voters initially rejected bond issues in 1948 before approving a $968,000 bond issue on October 21, 1949, to construct a new school for grades 4–12 and remodel the existing high school for primary grades.^[6]

Construction on the new campus began in July 1950. The new building, which is now part of the Rhinebeck High School and Bulkeley Middle School complex on North Park Road, was completed and occupied on March 31, 1952. At the time of opening, the central district enrollment had grown to 775 pupils.^[6]

To accommodate continued growth, the district constructed Chancellor Livingston Elementary School in 1967. The school is named after Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, a Founding Father and Rhinebeck resident.^[7]

• Joseph Phelan (1999–2020)^[8]
• Albert Cousins (2020–present)^[9]

The district, located in Dutchess County, includes most of Rhinebeck town and portions of the following towns: Clinton, Hyde Park, Milan, and Red Hook. Within Rhinebeck town, the district includes Rhinebeck Village and the census-designated place (hamlet) of Rhinecliff.^[10]

There are three schools in the district altogether. There is one elementary school, one Middle school, and one high school.