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About Us

Happy kids playing jump rope together.

Welcome

Nestled in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, Poland Central School District is located in the village of Poland, New York. Our tight-knit school community provides quality education for approximately 490 students each year in grades K-12. Students live within eight different towns in Herkimer County, New York.

Tradition is highly valued at Poland CSD, home of the Tornadoes, and many of our students come from multi-generation families of Poland graduates. The average graduation rate is between 90% and 94%. We endeavor to develop prepared, productive, and proud students who go on to pursue success on their terms, which may include post-secondary education at community colleges, universities, or trade schools; military service; apprenticeships; entrepreneurship; business ownership; and more.

The average PK-6 class size is 42. The district continually invests time and money in curriculum improvement. The district meets the special education needs of students with district-operated resource rooms and Herkimer County BOCES programs.

In addition to a solid instructional program, the District supports a comprehensive music program, and has had many All-County, NYSSMA, and All-State participants, and has won top awards at the Sherburne Festival of Marching Bands.

Our Mission


By establishing a broad, challenging program and a variety of opportunities, Poland Central School will develop prepared, productive and proud citizens.

Our Vision


Developing prepared, productive and proud citizens.

Our Belief Statements


  • All children can learn.
  • It takes the whole community to educate the child.
  • We must be responsive to changing needs of the individual, group and society.
  • We will provide opportunities for students to gain the knowledge and values necessary to be productive members of society.
  • A variety of methods measure learning.
  • All of us can make a difference in school.

Our History

The school building in Poland erected in 1877 was the last of the small schools serving Poland’s area before the present building was erected in 1936. Twenty-one schools were in the centralized system in 1936. They included Gray, Poland, Cold Brook, Bull Hill, Hurricane, Wilmurt Corners, Russia, Worden’s Corners, North Star, Pardeeville, Shawangunk, Grant, Cave, Whitehouse, North Gage, Wilmurt, Gravesville, Ohio, Brayton’s Corners, Squires and Bromley. Ten of these schools remained open at first for grades one through six.

Three more schools, Walker Road, Coldwell, and Poplar Tree, were added, and of the total only three, Whitehouse, North Gage and Upper Wilmurt, remained open until 1962. Poland Central once had the longest bus run in the state. It is a total of 70 miles a day and picks up pupils from Piseco Lake and the nearby area. In 1936, there were four buses for student transportation. At present there are 22 buses, one station wagon, and several feeder lines which cover 17 bus routes. Close to 33,800 transportation miles are driven each month.

two students investigating lab tools together
Two kids playing in gym class putting plastic balls in hula hoop