The East Ramapo Central School District is the largest school district in Rockland Country. Spring Valley is one of two high schools within East Ramapo. Located 30 miles northwest of New York, in the center of Rockland County, East Ramapo is a middle-class suburban, predominantly residential community within commuting distance of the New York City, Westchester County, and northern New Jersey. The district's total area is 33 square miles, with an estimated 80,000 residents within its borders.

Rockland County has three private four-year colleges, a state university community college, and a rapidly growing and diversified cultural arts programs. Its central location at the base of the Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson River makes it an ideal location in which to live, work, and learn, as well as a geographically vital area through which the New York Thruway, Palisades Interstate Parkway, and other essential arteries run.

East Ramapo is nationally renowned for the excellence of its offerings and the achievement of its staff and students. There are more Nationally Board Certified teachers in East Ramapo than any other district in the Lower Hudson Valley Region. As a lighthouse district in many academic areas, East Ramapo has long been in the forefront of providing quality education. This begins in the earliest grades, which provides the foundation for a program of studies at the secondary level which is second to none.

At the elementary level, for example, our computer curriculum guide has been nationally recommended and purchased by scores of school systems around the country, while our Vision of Technology program has been replicated by countless others.

Our gifted and talented education program, which begins in grade 1, also offers separate, enriched programs for those who exhibit talent in the area of music and art. Our district's critical thinking skills program, which has been infused into the curriculum in each subject area at the earliest elementary levels, has been observed by professionals across the country as well as from Canada seeking to replicate this program.

At the secondary level, the breadth of East Ramapo's course offerings is simply breathtaking. From grade 7 to grade 12, the district offers courses in English, social studies, math, business education, and various areas of technology, science, and many others in the field of art, human ecology, music, and physical education.

Dedicated to arts education and enriching curriculum, the district was selected in 2007 as one of the 100 Best Communities for Music by the American Music Conference.

Spring Valley is one of the most respected high schools in the country. Its facilities and its top students compare favorably with the best private schools. Spring Valley has been cited by The College Board for the excellence of its Advanced Placement program. Several classes the 2000's have had one or more semi-finalist in The National Merit Scholarship Program and The National Achievement Scholarship Program for Black American High School Students.

Spring Valley offers a 200 course curriculum. Among these are 16 Advanced Placement courses in the five major departments as well as college credit courses offered through two universities. Each year, The College Board recognizes numerous Spring Valley students for exceptional achievement on the college level Advanced Placement examinations. On average, 45% or more of the students taking AP exams score a "3" or better.

Spring Valley students have the benefit of an extraordinary diversified cross-cultural exchange. Students come from more than 25 countries.

In the last five years an average of 93% of Spring Valley HS students continue to post-secondary education, with an average of 52% going to four-year institutions. The five year average for scholarship monies received is $2.75 million.

Spring Valley High School was ranked by Newsweek among the top 500 high schools in the nation for four consecutive years.

National Model

Recently, East Ramapo's high school course offerings were compared with those of schools that the U.S. Department of Education several years ago designated as the "Top 10" in the country. It revealed that East Ramapo's program of studies is "unusually comprehensive". Currently, all of the students are part of the school's smaller learning communities program. 9th grade students are in The Freshman Success Academy. Academies in grades 10-12 each have different career focus: 10th is Human Development, 11 is Humanities and 12 is Business & Law. Interdisciplinary units allow in-depth exploration of each area.

The Guidance Department has an average counselor/student ratio of 175 to 1. The College and Career Center houses videos, CD's and DVDs for student use, computers for access to college programs, catalogues and resource material for college and career choices. Spring Valley is a comprehensive four-year high school that serves a student population of over 1100. Each senior class contains qualified students, each of whom has satisfactorily completed the required number of units of credit to enter 12th grade. The school is accredited by the New York State Board of Regents.

Among the facilities at Spring Valley are:

• PC and MacIntosh computer classrooms for use with courses in math, business, architecture, graphic arts, and English.
• Computer networking through the school including video conferencing.
• Internet access and five to one student computer ratio.
• One TV, and two sound studios.
• A library media center with more than 20,000 volumes.

Grouping

Grouping in Spring Valley is by ability, achievement, and teacher evaluation. Those in advanced placement courses constitute the upper 10 % of the student body. Those in honors courses comprise the upper 20% of the student body. Regents courses contain students in the average academic group.

• Spring Valley High School has been cited by The College Board for the excellence of its Advanced Placement program.
• In the last five years an average of 93% of students continue of to post-secondary education, with an average of 52% going to four-year institutions. The five year average for scholarship monies received is $2.75 million.
• Spring Valley High School was ranked by Newsweek among the top 500 high schools in the nation for four consecutive years.
• Spring Valley High School was ranked one of America's best high schools in 2010 by Newsweek.
• Spring Valley's Key Club is one of the most respected high school service organizations anywhere. It was ranked "Best in the World" six times during the 1990s and continues to win countless awards.
• The Spring Valley Debate Team is consistently ranked among the top 5 in The Rockland County Championships.
• Spring Valley's co-educational athletic program involves almost every sport imaginable, with 22 separate teams. In fact 9 of East Ramapo's athletic teams were recognized as scholar athletes by New York State, for having a composite grade point average of 90% or better.
• The Macrobiotics program received newspaper and television coverage.
• Intel Science Talent Research Semi-Finalist and Ron Brown Finalist.
• Spring Valley ranked in the top 10 Science Olympiad for the region.