About the District

The Valhalla Union Free School District is a suburban school district located in central Westchester County approximately 30 miles north of New York City. The District encompasses sections of three towns: Mount Pleasant, Greenburgh and North Castle. Four schools are located in Valhalla: Virginia Road Elementary School (K-2), Kensico School (3-5) and Valhalla Middle/High School (6-12).

The construction of the Kensico Dam in the early 1900's had both historical and cultural effects on the school district.  Most of the workers were of Italian ancestry, and these same workers settled both in Valhalla and North White Plains.  Many  of their descendents attend our schools to this day, providing a continuing cultural influence as indicated by students' interest in Italian as a foreign language choice.  Overall, the community could be best described as  suburban middle class with a mix of professionals, independent business owners and blue-collar workers.  Most of the residences are single family, individually owned homes.  In addition to its links to the Kensico Dam, the area has historical connections to the Revolutionary War.  Within the boundaries of the district are monuments to the Battle of White Plains, George Washington's Headquarters and the Hammond House Museum.

Valhalla UFSD has a stable population base of approximately 10,200 residents who support the educational program, as evidenced by their support of the District budget despite significant increases over the past several years. Residents are involved in school activities and organizations that include the PTAs and PTSAs, Valhalla International Fund, the Sports Booster Club, Compact for Learning Committees in all four buildings and the Valhalla Schools Foundation.

Valhalla is a community that values the academic standards set by its schools. Students at all grade levels continually excel on New York State assessments in grades 4, 5, and 8, Regents exams and the national PSAT and SAT exams. In addition, participating high school students continually score well on Advanced Placement exams. More than 85% of graduating seniors pursue higher education, with many accepted to some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country.

The Middle/High School is accredited by the University of the State of New York and the Middle Atlantic States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Our Middle School program is recognized as a New York State School of Excellence by the New York State Education Department.

Within Valhalla, a special emphasis is placed on educational fundamentals at all levels to enable each child to establish a strong foundation as he/she progresses through school. A great deal of emphasis is placed on the individual needs of each student. As a small district, the Valhalla school community knows each individual student and family, enabling each child to fully develop with a great deal of cooperation between home and school.

Valhalla offers a comprehensive array of special education, ESL, remedial and AIS services designed to support all students in our mission to achieve higher learning standards and mastery on State  and local assessments. Newly created Learning Centers exist in all buildings to ensure a level of support specific to State standards. In addition, all students have access to extensive computer technology through laboratory and classroom experiences.

Valhalla is proud of its schools. Several years ago, the District completed construction of a new 70,000 square foot elementary school (Kensico), a 7 classroom addition at Virginia Road, and a new library addition at the middle/high school level. Additional improvements have been made to the majority of science laboratory spaces, 6-12, and to the outdoor athletic facilities. The community believes in offering an excellent education to all our children and the Board of Education and staff are dedicated to that end.

Valhalla at a Glance