Few suburban school districts in the country carry the name recognition of Scarsdale. The Scarsdale Union Free School District is consistently regarded as the strongest district in the Hudson Valley and one of the best in New York State, and that reputation is the single largest force shaping demand for Scarsdale real estate. When families compare Westchester towns, the schools are usually the first filter and often the deciding one.

The performance data backs the reputation. Across the district, math proficiency averages roughly 92% against a statewide public school average near 52%, and reading proficiency averages around 85% against a statewide average near 49%, according to figures compiled by Public School Review. The district’s average testing rank sits at 10/10, placing it in the top tier of public schools in New York.

A note on the numbers: published rankings differ by methodology and refresh on different schedules, so the exact position shifts a few spots year to year depending on the source. The consistent takeaway across every major ranking service is the same. Scarsdale sits at or near the top of Westchester and the Hudson Valley, year after year.

What the Reputation Costs and Returns

That academic strength is built into home prices. Buyers pay a premium to live inside the district lines, and within Scarsdale itself, prices vary by which elementary attendance zone a home falls into. For families with school-age or soon-to-be school-age children, the school assignment is not a detail. It is a core feature of the property, which is why understanding the zones before you tour homes matters so much.

This is the part of Scarsdale that surprises buyers coming from districts with school choice or magnet lotteries. In Scarsdale, your child’s elementary school is determined by your home address. The district has five elementary attendance zones, and each one is named for the neighborhood it serves: Edgewood, Fox Meadow, Greenacres, Heathcote, and Quaker Ridge.

Because assignment is address-based, choosing a neighborhood and choosing an elementary school are effectively the same decision. The district’s roughly 5,959 properties are divided among the five zones, each with its own housing character and price point. The district occasionally adjusts boundary lines to balance enrollment, with recent attention around the Fox Meadow and Greenacres border near Mamaroneck Road, so families should always verify the current assignment for a specific address rather than relying on a general map.

Elementary Schools Mapped to Neighborhoods

It is worth keeping the bigger picture in mind. All five elementary schools feed into the same single middle school and the same single high school, and all five carry strong reputations. The zone you choose shapes your child’s early years and your daily neighborhood life, but every path leads to the same Scarsdale Middle School and Scarsdale High School.

Each Scarsdale elementary school anchors its neighborhood. They share a district philosophy and curriculum, but each has its own campus feel, parent community, and walkability. Here is a closer look at all five.

Across the district, the top-ranked elementary schools in recent rankings have included Greenacres, Heathcote, and Fox Meadow, though all five are well regarded and the differences are modest. For most buyers, the deciding factor is the neighborhood lifestyle and commute rather than a ranking gap between schools.

After fifth grade, every Scarsdale student converges on a single path. There is one public middle school and one public high school in the village, which means the five elementary communities blend together as students grow up.

Scarsdale Middle School

Scarsdale Middle School serves grades 6 through 8 and is organized into smaller learning communities known as houses, a structure designed to keep the experience personal even as students from all five elementary schools come together. It bridges the neighborhood elementary years and the larger high school, with a strong emphasis on writing, inquiry, and the transition to independent work.

Scarsdale High School

Scarsdale High School serves grades 9 through 12 and is the institution most responsible for the district’s national profile. It ranks among the top high schools in New York State, was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2024, and is best known nationally for replacing Advanced Placement courses with its own Advanced Topics curriculum. The high school combines rigorous academics with deep offerings in athletics, the arts, and student-led clubs and publications.

• Statewide standing: Ranked near the top tier of New York high schools by U.S. News & World Report
• National recognition: 2024 National Blue Ribbon School
• Distinctive curriculum: Advanced Topics courses in place of AP at the most advanced levels
• Breadth: Comprehensive athletics, arts, and a wide range of extracurricular programs

One of the most distinctive and most discussed features of Scarsdale High School is that it does not offer Advanced Placement courses. Between 2007 and 2009, the high school transitioned away from the College Board’s standardized AP program and built its own Advanced Topics, or AT, courses in their place. This is a real difference that prospective families should understand, because it shapes how the curriculum works and how colleges read a Scarsdale transcript.

A natural worry for parents is whether skipping the AP label hurts in college admissions. The district’s position, supported by how its graduates fare, is that it does not. Colleges evaluate a transcript against the courses a given school actually offers, and admissions offices are well acquainted with Scarsdale’s reputation and the rigor of its AT program. Courses designated as the most demanding at a school are read as such whether they are labeled AT or AP.

Families should still go in with clear eyes. Because AT courses do not culminate in a College Board exam, students who want AP exam scores for placement or credit at certain universities may choose to sit for relevant AP tests independently. This is a manageable consideration, not an obstacle, but it is worth discussing with the high school’s counseling office as a student plans coursework.

The clearest answer to whether the Scarsdale model works is where graduates go. College placement has remained strong and consistent across the years, and notably it held steady through the transition from AP to Advanced Topics.

For a representative class, Scarsdale High School has reported that roughly 98% of graduates continued their education at college programs and about 97% enrolled at four-year national and international colleges and universities. Scarsdale graduates regularly matriculate to highly selective institutions, including Ivy League and other top-ranked universities, and the district reports that placement outcomes stayed consistent before and after the move to Advanced Topics.

While the public schools are the main draw, Scarsdale families also have access to a deep bench of private and independent schools across Westchester and lower Fairfield County. Some families choose private for a particular philosophy, a religious foundation, a specialized program, or a specific learning fit.

Westchester County is home to more than a hundred private schools spanning every grade level and approach, from Montessori and bilingual programs to college-preparatory day schools and faith-based academies. Average private school tuition in Westchester runs higher than the statewide average, so families weighing the private route should budget accordingly.

For the overwhelming majority of buyers, though, the public district is the reason they are in Scarsdale to begin with. The private options are useful to know about, but they rarely change the core calculus of why families move to the village.

How are Scarsdale schools ranked?

The Scarsdale Union Free School District is consistently ranked the best in the Hudson Valley and among the top districts in New York. In Niche’s 2026 rankings it again led the Hudson Valley and placed among the top districts statewide, and U.S. News ranked Scarsdale Senior High School near the top tier of New York high schools. Exact positions vary by source and year, but Scarsdale reliably sits at or near the top of Westchester.

How many elementary schools does Scarsdale have, and how are students assigned?

Scarsdale has five elementary schools: Edgewood, Fox Meadow, Greenacres, Heathcote, and Quaker Ridge. Each is named for the neighborhood it serves, and students are assigned by home address. Your child’s elementary school is determined by where you live, which is why neighborhood choice and school choice are essentially the same decision in Scarsdale.

Does the elementary school depend on which house I buy?

Yes. Because assignment is address-based and boundaries can run down the middle of a street and are reviewed periodically, the specific home you choose determines the elementary zone. Always confirm a property’s current attendance assignment with the district or your agent before making an offer.

Why does Scarsdale High School not offer AP courses?

Between 2007 and 2009, Scarsdale High School transitioned from Advanced Placement to its own Advanced Topics curriculum. AT courses are college-level classes designed by Scarsdale faculty that emphasize depth, independent work, and sustained inquiry rather than coverage tied to a national exam.

Does the absence of AP hurt college admissions?

The district’s experience indicates it does not. Colleges evaluate transcripts against the courses a school offers, and admissions offices know Scarsdale and the rigor of its AT program. The most demanding courses are read as such whether labeled AT or AP, and college placement stayed consistent after the change.

Where do Scarsdale graduates go to college?

For a representative class, about 98% of graduates continued to college and roughly 97% enrolled at four-year institutions, with regular placements at highly selective and Ivy League universities. Specifics vary by class year, so request the latest profile from the high school’s college office for current figures.

Are all five elementary schools good?

Yes. All five carry strong reputations and feed into the same single middle school and high school. Recent rankings have placed Greenacres, Heathcote, and Fox Meadow among the highest, but the differences are modest and the deciding factor for most families is neighborhood lifestyle and commute.

What private school options exist near Scarsdale?

Westchester offers more than a hundred private schools, from Montessori and bilingual programs to college-preparatory day schools and faith-based academies. Average tuition runs above the statewide average. For most Scarsdale buyers, however, the public district is the primary reason they choose the village.