Editing Ramapo, New York (section)

==Education==

===Colleges===
[[Rockland Community College]], a public two-year community college run by [[SUNY]], is located in the [[census designated place|CDP]] of [[Viola, New York|Viola]], about 4 miles (6&nbsp;km) east of [[Suffern, New York|Suffern]].

The [[Sunbridge Institute]] in [[Chestnut Ridge, New York|Chestnut Ridge]] is a [[Waldorf education|Waldorf]]-based adult learning center that specializes in training teachers. It offers Masters degrees in education in collaboration with the State University of New York (SUNY).

===Public schools===
[[File:Cherry Lane School.JPG|thumb|Cherry Lane Elementary School, located in the [[Airmont, New York|Village of Airmont]]. Cherry Lane is one of five elementary schools that help comprise [[Ramapo Central School District|Ramapo (Suffern) Central School District]].]]

The town is served by two school districts.  The western part of the town (Suffern, Montebello, Airmont, Sloatsburg. Hillburn) is primarily served by the Suffern Central School District, and the eastern part of the town (Spring Valley, Monsey, Pomona, Chestnut Ridge, New Hempstead) by the East Ramapo Central School District.

===Suffern Central School District===

The western half of Ramapo is served by the [[Ramapo Central School District|Suffern Central School District]]. Up until August 2017, the district was known as Ramapo Central, but the district and community sought a name change to avoid continuing confusing with East Ramapo Central School District. The name change was approved by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The district operates five elementary schools that go from grades K-5, Cherry Lane, Montebello, R.P. Connor, Sloatsburg, and Viola; one middle school that goes from grades 6–8, Suffern Middle School; and one high school, Suffern High School. Both the middle and high schools' mascots are mountain lions, known colloquially as "mounties." Cherry Lane Elementary was awarded with a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence award from the U.S. Department of Education in 2013, and is one of four schools within the district to receive the New York State High Performing Reward School award by the New York State Department of Education in 2014.  The other three schools include Montebello Elementary, Sloatsburg Elementary, and Suffern High School.

===East Ramapo Central Central School District===

The eastern half of Ramapo is served by the [[East Ramapo Central School District]]. The district operates four elementary schools that go from grades 1–3, Grandview, Summit Park, Fleetwood, and Margetts; and five elementaries that go from grades 4–6, Lime Kiln, Kakiat, Hempstead, Eldorado, and Elmwood; totaling nine elementary schools. It also operates two middle schools that go from grades 7–8, Pomona and Chestnut Ridge; and two high schools, Ramapo and Spring Valley. Spring Valley High's mascot is a tiger, and Ramapo High's is a griffin.

As of 2022, the district's public schools educate some 9,500 children, while about 30,000 children who live in the district and attend private schools, mostly yeshivas that serve a growing Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish community.<ref name="lohud.com">{{cite web | url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/2022/01/28/new-york-comptroller-ranked-east-ramapo-school-district-most-fiscally-stressed/9241819002/ | title=State comptroller calls East Ramapo the most 'fiscally stressed' school district in NY }}</ref>

In 2005 the Orthodox Jewish population of the district received majority control of the school board.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2014/11/17/east-ramapo-timeline/19190165/ | title=East Ramapo timeline: 2005-present }}</ref> This new board began reducing the budget and lowering taxes. The communities using the public schools opposed these actions. In July 2010 the School Board of the East Ramapo Central School District voted to sell Hillcrest Elementary School — closed due to budget cuts — to the Hasidic Jewish Congregation Yeshiva Avir Yakov of New Square.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2014/11/25/east-ramapo-sells-hillcrest-school/70114646/ | title=East Ramapo sells Hillcrest for use as yeshiva again }}</ref>

In 2010, the school board also voted to sell Merrill L. Colton Elementary School to Monsey-based Bais Malka Congregation and the Hebrew Academy for Special Children, a Brooklyn-based religious school for children with special needs. Transactions involving the two buildings were the focus of an ongoing state attorney general's investigation. Separately, hundreds of parent plaintiffs have also challenged them as part of their federal lawsuit against the district. The sale was finalized in 2014.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/2014/07/24/east-ramapo-sells-colton-school/13126357/ | title=East Ramapo completes school sale to yeshiva tenants }}</ref>

On June 30, 2011, former president of the East Ramapo Central School District Nathan Rothschild pleaded guilty to a mail fraud scheme which had been an attempt to eliminate his own private debt. The scheme involved selling public land to his creditors, then buying the land back at a higher price. He engaged in these activities as Fire Commissioner in Monsey. Questions arose as to whether the attempt to sell Hillcrest Elementary School was engineered for similar pursuits, as the sale of the 12-acre public school campus was engineered during his time in office as the school board president at East Ramapo Central School District.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://hudsonvalley.news12.com/ex-president-of-e-ramapo-school-board-pleads-guilty-to-mail-fraud-34719276 | title=Ex-president of e. Ramapo School Board pleads guilty to mail fraud }}</ref>

In 2022, New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli announced that East Ramapo Central was the most "fiscally stressed" public school district in the state.<ref name="lohud.com"/>

===Private schools===
Most private schools in Ramapo are [[Orthodox Jewish]] and [[Hasidic Jewish]] ''[[yeshiva]]s'', as almost half of the town's population is Jewish. Most yeshivas are located in the eastern part of the town. Some include Yeshiva Avnei Shlomo, Yeshiva Ohr Reuven, Yeshiva Darchei Noam, and Bais Yaakov Chofetz Chaim.

The sole Roman Catholic private school in the town is St. Joseph's School; Sacred Heart School closed in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sacredheartparish.org/news/farewell-sacred-heart-school|title=Farewell Sacred Heart School}}</ref> In addition, some Catholic county residents send their high school-aged sons to [[Don Bosco Preparatory High School]] in [[Ramsey, New Jersey]].

There are four non-religious private schools in Ramapo: the Goddard School, the Skill Building Center, the Green Meadow Waldorf School, and the Rockland County Learning Center.