Education
Schools and colleges provide not only education for students, but also employment for staff and programs for families and the community at large. In this section, we consider barriers to educational access as they relate to walkability, bikeability, and transit service (for colleges). We did not evaluate public transit access to schools since almost all schools in Dutchess provide bus service. See our Methodology document (.pdf) for more information, and our Barriers to Basic Needs Map for details.
Public Schools
How walkable are the areas around our schools?
All school districts in Dutchess County provide some level of busing. However, some districts only provide it for students who live beyond a certain distance from their school. Walking to school, though rare in most of our county, is a healthy way to start the day and has numerous other benefits (see sidebar).
There are 72 public schools serving grades K-12 in Dutchess County (a few schools share locations). Almost 40 percent of these (27 schools) are fairly walkable, with at least 20 percent sidewalk coverage; these include schools in the cities of Poughkeepsie and Beacon and most schools in villages. A similar amount (26 schools) have no sidewalks—these include schools in both suburban and rural areas. The remaining 19 schools have limited sidewalks, which often makes walking infeasible.
Many of our schools were built in outlying areas, due in part to school siting policies that require large amounts of land. These locations often do not have sidewalks and are not close enough to clusters of housing to make walking to school a realistic option.
Sidewalk Coverage Around Schools (by District)
What We Heard
“Kids who are supposed to walk to school don’t because the routes aren’t safe. So, parents drive them. That causes a whole lot of other issues.”– Moving Dutchess Forward survey
How many schools have access to a rail trail?
Schools with access to a rail trail provide students, staff, and community members the option of safely bicycling to school, which, like walking, has numerous physical, emotional, and mental health benefits. However, only three schools are within a half-mile of a rail trail: Fishkill Plains Elementary in East Fishkill, Sojourner Truth Elementary in the City of Poughkeepsie, and Arthur S. May Elementary in the Town of Poughkeepsie. All are near the Dutchess Rail Trail, but none have a dedicated on- or off-street bicycle connection (bike lane or path) to the trail. In other cases, such as Gayhead Elementary in East Fishkill, a school is relatively close to a rail trail, but the neighborhood streets do not connect to the trail.
The proposed Beacon-Hopewell Rail Trail would serve several public schools, including Fishkill Elementary, Glenham Elementary, and Brinkerhoff Elementary in Fishkill and Sargent Elementary in Beacon.
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
Safe Routes to School is a movement to provide safe, comfortable and convenient ways for students to walk or bicycle to school. Safe Routes to School programs take many forms, but often involve the following steps:
- Engagement
- Engineering
- Encouragement
- Education
- Evaluation
Our recent Spackenkill Road Sidewalk Feasibility Study is a great example, where we evaluated the potential for a sidewalk to provide access to Spackenkill High School and nearby schools from adjacent residential areas.
Colleges
How walkable are the areas around our colleges?
There are six colleges in Dutchess County: Dutchess Community College (DCC), DCC-South (in Fishkill), Marist University, Bard College, Vassar College, and the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).
Many college students live on campus, while some commute by vehicle (particularly to DCC and DCC-South). However, sidewalk coverage around a college allows students to live nearby and walk to campus, for students and staff to walk between the campus and nearby destinations, and for the nearby community to take advantage of events and other opportunities on campus.
Sidewalk coverage within a half mile ranges to about 45 percent at Vassar and 40 percent at Marist, to about 20 percent at DCC and the CIA, and less than 10 percent at DCC-South and Bard. While most campuses have extensive internal paths, sidewalk connections to the surrounding area from many of our colleges are limited.
Sidewalk Coverage Around Colleges
*This does not account for internal campus paths that are not along streets.
WHY WALK TO SCHOOL
Research has found many benefits with walking to school:
- Higher academic performance
- Improved alertness/ability to concentrate
- Lower stress
- Improved physical fitness
- Increased sense of independence
- Reduced traffic around schools
Of course, safety must be a consideration, but research shows that children are more likely to be injured when driven than when walking. Walking in groups with adult leaders (a Walking School Bus) is one common approach.
How frequent is bus service to our colleges?
In addition to walking, college students can use public transit to access campuses and travel between the campus and nearby destinations. Three of the six colleges have frequent bus service on weekdays: DCC-South, Marist, and Vassar. Bard, the CIA, and DCC have somewhat frequent service.
While classes are generally on weekdays, college-related events and activities occur on weekends. Saturday service is similar to weekday service. On Sundays, Vassar has somewhat frequent service and DCC-South has infrequent service; the other colleges have no service. See our Bus Access section for more information.
Bard College also provides its own free shuttle service. This includes on campus service, and service to Red Hook and Tivoli. Bard also provides shuttles to airports and Poughkeepsie and Rhinecliff train stations on major travel days.
TRANSIT PARTNERSHIPS WITH COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS
Vassar College, Bard College, and DCC currently have agreements with County Public Transit to allow students and staff (less DCC) to ride County buses for free, with the fares reimbursed by the colleges. In 2025, DCC students took almost 31,000 rides, about 4% of County Transit’s ridership, followed by Bard at 13,000 rides and Vassar at 10,500.
County Public Transit also works with the Poughkeepsie City School District to provide bus service to students. In 2025, Poughkeepsie students took more than 64,000 rides, almost 8% of County Transit’s ridership.
How many colleges have access to a rail trail?
Three of the six colleges are located within a half mile of a rail trail: Marist, which is near the Northside Line and Dutchess Rail Trail; DCC, which is near the Dutchess Rail Trail; and Vassar, which is near the Dutchess Rail Trail. In addition, an on-road portion of the Empire State Trail runs through the Bard campus, on Annandale Road.
The Northside Line Phase 2 project would add a direct connection into the Marist campus. Improved connections between the Dutchess Rail Trail and both DCC and Vassar would provide students and staff with more transportation options.
Our Role
Based on this analysis, our role could include the following:
- Improve walking access to schools and colleges. Work with partners to fill gaps in sidewalk networks near schools, focusing on schools in centers. A Safe Routes to School planning study could identify the most promising locations. Also work with partners to provide more complete sidewalk networks near colleges.
- Promote bicycle connections to schools and colleges. Very few of our schools and colleges are accessible via a rail trail. In some locations, a connection could be provided either via an off-road path or a low-volume street. A trail access study could identify and prioritize these and other trail connection projects.
- Improve transit service to colleges. Encourage colleges, particularly Marist, the CIA, and DCC-South to consider agreements with County Public Transit to allow students and staff to ride County buses for free (see sidebar).
- Continue pedestrian safety education programs in partnership with the County Health Department. Our Watch Out For Me campaign includes educational resources for students.