Edgemont One of Nation's Richest School Districts

EDGEMONT, N.Y. – Along with being one of the highest-ranked school districts in the country, Edgemont is also among the richest.

The Edgemont School District has been named the seventh wealthiest district in the country, according to a study released by 24/7 Wall St.

The group analyzed census data from 2006 through 2010 for more than 10,000 school districts in the country.  Of the top 10 in wealth, six were from Westchester County and three were from Fairfield County in Connecticut.

Many Edgemont parents said it wasn’t a surprise their district was among the richest in the nation.

“If you see some of the homes in the area – I think their value reflects that status,” Max Wilanski said.  

The study found that 50 percent of Edgemont school district residents earn more than $200,000 a year, with a median income of about $180,000.

Scarsdale was the wealthiest school district in the county, with a median income of $238,000, the site reported. By comparison, in Texas’ San Perlita Independent School District, one of the poorest school districts in the country, 30 percent of residents earned less than $10,000 each year.

With money comes better education, and a better chance students will go to college, the study found.

“Residents that live in wealthy school districts have among the best schools in the nation based on graduation rates, test scores and independent ratings of academic success,” the site reported.

Earlier this year, Edgemont was ranked in the top 100 schools in the county by U.S. News & World Report, and in the top 150 by Newsweek. Edgemont mother Laurie Mower said that while wealth doesn’t necessarily guarantee success, it certainly doesn’t hurt.

“I think it all goes hand in hand,” Mower said. “A lot of people in the community are very highly educated, and education is very important to them.”

According to the study, Edgemont spends more than $21,000 per student annually. Barbourville, Ky., the poorest school district in the nation, spends roughly $8,000 per student.

Larry Spitzer, a New York City public school teacher and Edgemont father, said Edgemont’s wealth provides district children with a number of opportunities some districts may not be able to offer.

“There is a lot of after-school help, school trips and other programs that are available for the students,” he said. 

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