Known for its long tradition of excellence and high standards, the Spackenkill Union Free School District is a K–12 public school district located in the western part of Dutchess County, New York. It was established in 1866 and has grown from a one-room schoolhouse to four schools serving some 1,500 students. The district prides itself on being a small community, where families know each other, enhancing the spirit of a shared vision.

Spackenkill is one of the 14 best places to live in Dutchess County according to Hudson Valley Magazine.

 In recent Niche ratings, the district was rated #13 of all upstate districts, with a grade of A+. SHS was rated #1 out of 13 high schools in Dutchess County. Todd was #1 out of 15 county middle schools. Nassau was rated #1 elementary school in Dutchess County, followed by Hagan at #2 in a list of over 40 elementary schools.

Spackenkill  was also ranked #3 out of 450 upstate districts as the best place to teach.

Seven-year winner of Best Communities for Music Education Award from the NAMM Foundation.

For the 2018-2019 school year, Spackenkill's STEM program was rated #31 in the nation by US News. The District was also in US News top 1000 nationally.

Spackenkill High School  SAT scores are #3 out of 450 districts in upstate New York, according to CollegeBoard data. 

Spackenkill High School is the recipient of the US Department of Education 2018 National Blue Ribbon Award. SHS is the first high school in Dutchess County to receive the award since its inception in 1982. Among 130,000 schools nationwide, only 349 received this coveted honor in 2018. Of that number, 62 are high schools.

Spackenkill students advance to state and national levels in such competitions as Odyssey of the Mind, Science Olympiad, American Computer Science League, American Mathematics Competition, Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and Mathcounts.  Our students have also placed in the top levels of the Siemens Competition, Regeneron, and ISEF Awards.