The share of students who are economically disadvantaged. Economic disadvantage is based on a student's participation in social safety net programs.
This measure not only shows the proportion of low-income students and families in an area, it is also an indication of the potential challenges facing schools as they work to educate children who have fewer resources.
In 2023, 46% of students in the region were economically disadvantaged, representing over 68,400 children. This was slightly above the statewide (excluding NYC) rate of 44%. Sullivan County, at 60%, had the highest rate in the region, followed by Ulster at 51% and Columbia at 50%. The lowest rate was in Putnam, at 32%. Since 2013, the share of students in the region who were economically disadvantaged increased 9 percentage points, above the state outside NYC which saw a 6 percentage point increase. While all counties had increases during this period, the largest occurred in Putnam, up 16 percentage points.
Among individual school districts in the region, rates were highest in Poughkeepsie (81%), Dover Union (74%) and Middletown (73%). The Garrison Union Free School District had one of the lowest rates, at 10%.
Students are considered economically disadvantaged if they participate in, or whose family participates in, economic assistance programs, such as the free or reduced-price lunch programs, Social Security Insurance (SSI), Food Stamps, Foster Care, Refugee Assistance (cash or medical assistance), Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), Safety Net Assistance (SNA), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), or Family Assistance: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). If one student in a family is identified as low income, all students from that household (economic unit) may be identified as low income. Comparable national data was not available. Data is not available prior to 2013. Data for this indicator are expected to be released in the second quarter.
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |||||||||
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Region | 37% | 39% | 41% | 40% | 43% | 44% | 44% | 44% | 42% | 43% | 46% | ||||||||
Columbia | 41% | 47% | 49% | 51% | 51% | 52% | 52% | 48% | 47% | 49% | 50% | ||||||||
Dutchess | 33% | 34% | 36% | 36% | 38% | 39% | 38% | 40% | 36% | 38% | 42% | ||||||||
Greene | 42% | 46% | 47% | 48% | 47% | 49% | 49% | 48% | 45% | 47% | 47% | ||||||||
Orange | 40% | 42% | 43% | 41% | 45% | 47% | 47% | 47% | 44% | 45% | 47% | ||||||||
Putnam | 16% | 17% | 20% | 22% | 24% | 27% | 28% | 28% | 28% | 28% | 32% | ||||||||
Sullivan | 53% | 59% | 53% | 55% | 61% | 62% | 63% | 60% | 57% | 58% | 60% | ||||||||
Ulster | 40% | 44% | 46% | 47% | 47% | 49% | 49% | 49% | 45% | 48% | 51% | ||||||||
NYS (excluding NYC) | 38% | 40% | 42% | 43% | 44% | 46% | 45% | 45% | 41% | 42% | 44% | ||||||||
Columbia School Districts | |||||||||||||||||||
Dutchess School Districts | |||||||||||||||||||
Greene School Districts | |||||||||||||||||||
Orange School Districts | |||||||||||||||||||
Putnam School Districts | |||||||||||||||||||
Sullivan Villages | |||||||||||||||||||
Ulster School Districts |
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |||||||||
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Region | 60,758 | 63,287 | 64,831 | 63,093 | 66,630 | 68,277 | 67,709 | 67,097 | 62,368 | 64,873 | 68,421 | ||||||||
Columbia | 3,079 | 3,402 | 3,513 | 3,564 | 3,514 | 3,539 | 3,462 | 3,096 | 2,914 | 3,038 | 3,088 | ||||||||
Dutchess | 13,822 | 13,914 | 14,684 | 14,361 | 15,025 | 15,190 | 14,678 | 15,068 | 13,441 | 14,304 | 15,544 | ||||||||
Greene | 2,647 | 2,799 | 2,768 | 2,849 | 2,704 | 2,799 | 2,734 | 2,652 | 2,438 | 2,482 | 2,441 | ||||||||
Orange | 24,257 | 24,944 | 25,513 | 23,521 | 25,853 | 26,616 | 26,556 | 26,544 | 24,942 | 26,022 | 27,099 | ||||||||
Putnam | 2,296 | 2,518 | 2,952 | 3,154 | 3,428 | 3,726 | 3,848 | 3,777 | 3,702 | 3,738 | 4,185 | ||||||||
Sullivan | 5,119 | 5,541 | 4,928 | 5,028 | 5,488 | 5,612 | 5,698 | 5,399 | 5,292 | 5,298 | 5,503 | ||||||||
Ulster | 9,538 | 10,169 | 10,473 | 10,616 | 10,618 | 10,795 | 10,733 | 10,561 | 9,639 | 9,991 | 10,561 | ||||||||
NYS (excluding NYC) | 628,838 | 651,321 | 683,328 | 696,201 | 705,986 | 715,396 | 707,526 | 699,232 | 639,157 | 654,780 | 664,923 | ||||||||
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Sullivan Villages | |||||||||||||||||||
Ulster School Districts |
INDICATORS | TREND | STATE |
---|---|
Median Household Income | Maintaining |
Median Household Income, by Race/Ethnicity | Maintaining |
People Living in Poverty | Maintaining |
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity | Increasing |
Seniors Living in Poverty | Increasing |
Veterans Living in Poverty | Maintaining |
Children Receiving Subsidized Child Care | Decreasing |
Economically Disadvantaged Students | Increasing |
Earned Income Tax Credit Participation | Increasing |
Living Wage Rate by Household Type | Maintaining |
Income in Relation to Poverty Level | Increasing |
Households Receiving SNAP | Maintaining |
Food Insecurity | Not Applicable |