The Best Private Schools in Lagrangeville, New York
Discover 3 exceptional private schools in Lagrangeville. Find the perfect educational environment for your child with our comprehensive reviews and ratings.
School Overview
Top-Rated Private Schools
The Millbrook School
The Millbrook School
Located approximately 20 minutes from Lagrangeville, The Millbrook School is a prestigious co-educational boarding and day school serving grades 9-12. The school features a 800-acre campus with state-of-the-art facilities including the Trevor Zoo, modern science centers, athletic complexes, and performing arts spaces. Millbrook offers a challenging college preparatory curriculum with advanced placement courses and distinctive programs in environmental science and sustainability. The school maintains a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and emphasizes experiential learning, character development, and community engagement through its comprehensive extracurricular offerings.
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Oakwood Friends School
Oakwood Friends School
Oakwood Friends School is one of the oldest co-educational college preparatory schools in the nation, offering a rigorous academic program grounded in Quaker values. Located just 15 minutes from Lagrangeville, the school serves students in grades 6-12 with small class sizes averaging 12 students. The campus features modern science labs, art studios, athletic facilities, and technology-integrated classrooms. The school emphasizes community service, ethical leadership, and global citizenship while maintaining strong college placement records. Extracurricular programs include competitive athletics, visual and performing arts, and international travel opportunities.
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Our Lady of Lourdes High School
Archdiocese of New York
Our Lady of Lourdes High School is a highly-regarded Catholic college preparatory school located approximately 15 minutes from Lagrangeville. Serving students in grades 9-12, the school offers a comprehensive academic program with 18 Advanced Placement courses, robust STEM programs, and extensive fine arts offerings. The campus features modern science and computer labs, a performing arts center, athletic facilities, and technology-enhanced classrooms. With a strong emphasis on faith formation, academic excellence, and character development, Lourdes maintains a 98% college acceptance rate and offers numerous extracurricular activities including competitive sports teams, clubs, and community service programs.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about private schools in Lagrangeville, New York
What are the primary private school options serving families in Lagrangeville, New York, and what are their key characteristics?
Lagrangeville itself is a hamlet within the town of LaGrange, and while it doesn't have a large number of private schools within its immediate borders, it is centrally located among several highly-regarded institutions. The top options include Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie (a Quaker, co-ed, college-prep day and boarding school for grades 6-12), The Millbrook School in Millbrook (a co-ed, independent boarding and day school for grades 9-12 with a strong focus on community and environmental stewardship), and Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie (a Catholic, co-ed college preparatory school for grades 9-12). These schools offer diverse educational philosophies, from religious to secular, and from day-only to boarding options, providing Lagrangeville families with significant choice within a reasonable commuting distance.
How does tuition for private schools in the Lagrangeville, NY area compare, and what financial aid options are typically available?
Tuition in the Lagrangeville area varies significantly based on the type of school. For the 2024-2025 academic year, day student tuition at Our Lady of Lourdes High School is approximately $11,000-$13,000, reflecting its Catholic school model. Independent day schools like Oakwood Friends School typically range from $40,000 to $50,000 for upper school day students. The Millbrook School, as a boarding school, has a comprehensive fee near $70,000 for boarding students, with day student tuition lower but still in the independent school range. Importantly, all these schools offer robust need-based financial aid. New York State also offers programs like the Child Safety Fund (for non-public school transportation) and potential education tax credits, which families in Dutchess County should investigate to help offset costs.
What unique academic or extracurricular programs are offered by private schools accessible from Lagrangeville, NY?
Schools in the region leverage the Hudson Valley's resources for distinctive programs. The Millbrook School is renowned for its Trevor Zoo, an on-campus AZA-accredited zoo that is fully integrated into its science curriculum. Oakwood Friends School emphasizes Quaker values through its "Witness Programs," focusing on peace, justice, and community service, and offers a unique senior project program. Our Lady of Lourdes High School provides a strong college-prep curriculum with a wide array of Advanced Placement (AP) courses and a dedicated STEM program. For Lagrangeville families, these schools also offer easy access to outdoor education, with Millbrook and Oakwood utilizing the local environment for ecology and sustainability studies.
What is the typical enrollment timeline and process for private high schools near Lagrangeville, NY, and how competitive is admission?
The process for the major schools near Lagrangeville is aligned with the standard independent school timeline but requires early planning. For fall entry, applications are typically due in January or February (e.g., January 15th or February 1st), with decisions released in March. The process involves an application, standardized testing (SSAT or ISEE), school records, teacher recommendations, and a required interview/visit. Admission competitiveness varies: The Millbrook School is highly selective as a top-tier boarding school, Oakwood Friends has a holistic and mission-aligned review process, and Our Lady of Lourdes, while selective, has a larger student body. Lagrangeville families are advised to begin campus visits in the fall prior to the desired enrollment year and to engage with admissions offices early, as spaces, especially for day students, can be limited.
For a family living in Lagrangeville, what are the key considerations when comparing the local Arlington Central School District public schools to the area's private options?
The decision hinges on educational philosophy, cost, and specific student needs. The Arlington Central School District is a large, well-regarded public district offering a comprehensive K-12 education with diverse AP courses, sports, and clubs at no direct tuition cost. The private options offer smaller class sizes (often 10-15 students), distinct moral or religious foundations (Quaker or Catholic), and specialized facilities (like a campus zoo or historic Quaker meeting houses). For college preparation, all pathways are strong, but private schools often provide more intensive, personalized college counseling. A major practical consideration for Lagrangeville is commute time; public school transportation is provided, while private schools may require a 20-45 minute drive to Poughkeepsie or Millbrook. The financial commitment of private tuition versus the tax burden supporting the public district is also a central factor for local families.
Private Education Insights
Exploring Non-Religious Private Schools in Lagrangeville, NY: A Parent's Guide
For families in Lagrangeville considering private education, the landscape offers a rich tapestry of choices, each with its own distinct character. While the area is home to excellent faith-based institutions like Our Lady of Lourdes High School, a significant number of parents are actively seeking a rigorous, values-driven education in a secular environment. The search for non religious private schools in the Hudson Valley is not about a lack of values, but rather a desire for an educational philosophy where ethical development and critical thinking are cultivated independently of specific religious doctrine. This perspective is particularly resonant in our diverse, thoughtful community, where families come from a wide array of backgrounds and belief systems.
Fortunately, the Lagrangeville area provides compelling options that fit this description beautifully. Just a short drive away, schools like Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie and The Millbrook School offer world-class, independent educations grounded in secular humanist traditions. Oakwood, while historically rooted in Quaker principles, operates as a consciously pluralistic community. Its emphasis on peaceful conflict resolution, community service, and finding "that of God in everyone" translates into a deeply respectful, inclusive environment that welcomes families of all faiths and none. The curriculum and daily life are not centered on religious practice but on these universal ethical values, making it a premier example of a non-sectarian private school.
Similarly, The Millbrook School offers a robust college-preparatory experience on its stunning campus. Its mission focuses on academic excellence, environmental stewardship, and the development of compassion and integrity. The school’s chapel, often a point of curiosity for parents exploring non religious private schools, is used as a non-denominational gathering space for reflection, speakers, and community meetings, not for religious services. This model is common among many elite independent schools, providing a venue for considering life’s larger questions without prescribing theological answers. For a Lagrangeville family, this means access to a top-tier education where the focus is on developing the whole child—intellectually, artistically, and ethically—within a diverse and inclusive setting.
Choosing this path in our area comes with practical considerations. The investment is significant, and the commute to these campuses is a daily factor. However, many families find the trade-off worthwhile for an education that aligns with their worldview. The key is to visit, ask pointed questions about the school’s philosophy, and observe the culture. Do you see evidence of open inquiry? How does the school handle discussions of ethics, diversity, and community? For parents in Lagrangeville, the journey to find the right non religious private school is an exercise in matching your family’s core values with an institution’s mission. It’s about finding a community that will challenge your child academically while honoring your perspective, all within the beautiful and intellectually vibrant context of the Hudson Valley.
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