Cornwall Central High School

10 Dragon Drive

School District

Cornwall Central
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
Type

public

School Map for Cornwall Central School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on October 20, 2024

We moved to Cornwall for the schools and have lived here for 13 years. There is a tremendous community spirt in this safe, walkable, friendly town. The schools are excellent.
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2022

I have three kids that have attended Cornwall Schools. Two from MS through HS have graduated and one from Kinder who currently attends HS. Two of the three had some SPED services. Our experience overall has been very good and each of my children has received an excellent education. Some of the negative reviews leave me wondering. I suppose it's important to remember that for some kids, no matter which school they attend, growing up isn't easy. And for all kids, learning has its challenges along the way. Is it fair to put that on the school and community? Was a strife-free life promised to all? I guarantee that if your child attends Cornwall schools they will receive ample opportunities to learn how to write and read well, how to reason, and how to work cooperatively with others. The majority of their teachers work hard to push them to the next level and ensure they understand. The majority of parents are decent people involved and engaged with their kids.
Submitted by student on June 15, 2017

It was fine. I contemplated leaving back in Freshman/Sophomore year to go to this boarding school that I really loved but the one thing that kept me from leaving was the music program and my friends. I've been apart of the program since 4th and even after graduating I still have not stopped. If I had a bad experience with friends I would have most definitely left the school. Nothing special about the school, even if there are a lot of Ivy league students from here and we rank in a lot of money in scholarships ect each year for colleges. The school itself is eh and basically got worse after the principal we had in 2012 and years before left, and others took over throughout administration. Also within the last year a lot of staff as left and retired. But I do know some just left for other jobs.
Submitted by parent on June 11, 2017

Excellent experience at CCHS. No idea where some of these reviews get their negative viewpoints - this school district is really great with tons of opportunities. Kids headed to Ivies, national award winners, caring faculty and staff... everything a great HS needs!
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2016

My daughter is a CCHS graduate. She was bullied throughout high school. It is full of cliques who can be actually cruel to students who don't fit the Cornwall white bread cheerleader mold. While white and bright my child was constantly bullied due to neurological problems resulting from premature birth. School focus is on kids in sports,drama and top students. I agree that memorization to pass tests was major learning focus. I don't blame the teachers as the pressure on them is intense from parents, school board and administration. My daughter had some excellent teachers and a bigger share of duds. Her guidance counselor was excellent but others poor. Principal and vice principal very helpful. "Old time" district parents have an undo influence. I cannot recommend this school district especially to a family moving in from other areas. My daughter attends a top SUNY university. Many students start at local community colleges and transfer to four year state schools. My daughter had to skip lunch in order to be in the chorus as it is a graded subject. Overall recommendation is not to move into the CCSD.
Submitted by parent on December 09, 2015

My older son is going to CCHS and my younger one is in CCMS. They studies well in their school. Their teachers are very helpful to them. And also CCHS Guidance Counselor always helps to my older son to achieve his goal. As a mom, I am really happy with this schools.
Submitted by student on November 22, 2014

I went to CCHS for all of high school (graduated 2012). It's thoroughly mediocre - pretty standard for a public school of its size. It generally just lacks opportunities - opportunities that tend to really make a difference for college. There were only a few AP classes, and I felt that electives were sort of lacking, especially for the underclassmen. More clubs would have been nice too, and a lot of the clubs that DID exist met sporadically and weren't really publicized. I think this stems from the issue of CCHS being a "sports school". If academics & the arts were given as much priority (and funding, presumably) as the athletics programs, I have no doubt that the school could be much better. I also found that too many teachers just didn't care. Most stuff was taught by memorization and not many students fully understood it. I think more essays & projects, especially ones that allow some freedom (as opposed to tests & quizzes) would have been better for learning. This probably stems from the issue of learning ONLY for standardized tests, but that isn't the school's fault. I don't blame the teachers for their indifference either - teachers are generally undervalued & underpaid.
Submitted by parent on October 11, 2014

we were so outraged by the high school that we moved in the middle of the school year to the city. Yes to the city and in a public high school. It was a HUGE sacrifice for us but we could not stand to see our child being so unhappy. They don't encourage creativity and every thing is memorization. My child was bullied by her ES teacher and there was nothing we could do because he had tenured. Believe it or not, teachers in the city are usually very motivated, aware of the new ways to teach and not stuck in the 50s. THanks to this move she was accepted in a top College. I have to say that the only nice departments were the Art and Language DEpt but they were not the big shots. So had no voice. The Math was terrible and the level low , English could not care less although the level was high and SCience was a joke. WE also had a terrible experience with the middle school too. With my other child. I got scolded by the teacher because my child was wearing a T shirt with the Vitruvian man bought at the Vatican. Yes the Vatican !. This is how backward those teachers are. What they mean by good school is that it is a non diverse school.
Submitted by student on August 19, 2013

I'm going to tell you a little bit about us Dragons. A lot of people say we are overrated, rich, white kids who only care about sports and like to party A LOT. For all the haters drinking hatorade, let me remind you.... We have the best quarterback in New York state. We love sports here in Cornwall because with our academic reputation schools like Lafayette, Pace, and Stanford give our student athletes a full ride. A small percentage of teachers maybe a slap in the face but the rest are only there to help you. Students will find teachers at CCHS that will stay after Drama or Football to work with them on geometry or help them with a lab. Every class i have is a new group of friends because it is so small. Our Gay-Straight alliance group is the most active in the county. Our varsity girls soccer team( that's me) placed fourth in the states last year. We have very challenging AP and honors courses. If your Einstein maybe private school is for you but if your a teenager who wants to be challenged, be INVOLVED, and you bleed the color green, CCHS is your school. A wise man used to say "Commit to Green, Commit to Greatness"-Sheboy CCHS Class @ 2016
Submitted by other on June 10, 2013

Hello, My daughter is in seventh grade and is an honors student. I am debating sending her to Cornwall versus a private school. Certainly Cornwall would be much easier. Can any of you comment on the AP courses and the college placement for the last 2 years. I have heard that over the last few years the student body has improved tremendously and as a result the honors classes and college acceptances have also improved.
Submitted by student on April 22, 2013

This school is for the average student. If you or your child is an over-achiever, then I would suggest a private school. This is one of the best public schools in the area, however, the grades for AP classes are not as weighted as much as other schools. This means that you or your child would have a seemingly lower grade than other students from different schools comparatively. Most teachers do work solely on memorization because for the majority of children it is the only way to learn. However the majority of the advanced teachers are wonderful. Overall it truly is worth it unless you or child plans to go into the upper reaches of Ivy Leagues.
Submitted by parent on December 16, 2012

I agree with the last comment. This school is over rated. They don't challlenge the students. Their way of teaching is based on memorization. The teachers don't seem to care as they have tenure. The College guidance counselor could not care less. This is very lamentable given the amazing campus they have : the tennis courts, running track, the library, the pool, soccer field, baseball field.. It is like an empty shell. You are seduced by the outside then you realize that it is empty inside. They don't even go to good Colleges. It makes me sad specially given the taxes. We only were happy with the art dept and lanuage dept. Math and Science were a disaster. English was very stiff,