2022-23 School Profile

Tappan Zee High School is fully accredited by and registered with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the New York State Education Department as per guidelines established by the New York State Board of Regents.

Curriculum

Tappan Zee High School is committed to academic excellence for every student. To that end, a variety of curriculum levels and instructional approaches are used. High school courses are offered at several levels, including: general, Regents, Honors, and Advanced Placement.

• Acceleration is available to students in Grade 8 in the following areas: Art, World Language, Mathematics, Science and Technology.
• An Honors option is available to students in the following grades: English 9-12, Biology, Chemistry, World History 9 and 10, U.S. History, Integrated Geometry, Integrated Algebra II/Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus.
• College credit may be earned at the high school in the following areas: Computer Basic and Java, Criminal Justice, Italian IV and V, French IV and V, Spanish V, Survey of Spanish Literature, English 12, English 12H, AP English, Pre-Calculus, Pre-Calculus Honors, AP Physics and PLTW Technology (5 courses) and Anatomy and Physiology.
• Advanced Placement courses are offered in the following areas:
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Calculus AB and BC
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Science A
  • Computer Science Principles
  • Economics
  • English Literature and Composition
  • Environmental Science
  • European History
  • Physics 1
  • Physics C: Mechanics; Electricity and Magnetism
  • Psychology
  • Spanish Literature
  • Statistics
  • Studio Art: 2D, 3D and Drawing
  • U.S. History
  • World History

The Advanced Placement program enjoys wide participation by students in grades 10 through 12. In May 2022, 491 examinations were taken. Students are actively encouraged to pursue challenging courses.

AP Scholars, May 2022
24 AP Scholars with Distinction
14 AP Scholars with Honors
37 AP Scholars

Community

South Orangetown Central School District is located 18 miles north of New York City, making it attractive to those who commute to Manhattan, Westchester County (New York), Bergen County (New Jersey), and Connecticut. Bordered by the Hudson River to the east, it is comprised of the villages and hamlets of Blauvelt, Grand View, Orangeburg, Palisades, Piermont, Sparkill and Tappan. The district covers about 22 square miles, and has a population of approximately 23,000. While economically diverse, the district attracts a substantial number of professionals, managers, teachers, police, firemen, artists and musicians.

District Enrollment

South Orangetown includes two elementary schools (K-2 and 3-5), one middle school (6-8), and one high school (9-12). Total enrollment is approximately 3,200. Tappan Zee High School’s present and projected enrollments are given below.

Graduating class size:
2023: 247
2024: 228
2025: 246
2026: 245

Grading System

Tappan Zee High School uses a numerical grading system (0-100%), in which 65% is the lowest passing grade.

Community Service

Tappan Zee High School encourages students in all grade levels to become involved in community service activities. Although not required for graduation, community service is an important activity for which students may earn one (1) elective credit towards graduation for completion of 100 hours of documented volunteer activity.

Class Rank

Tappan Zee High School does not rank its graduating seniors. We report a weighted cumulative grade point average (GPA) that is indicated on the top right hand corner of the transcript. The GPA includes all courses taken for high school credit.

Averages are weighted in two ways: credit value of courses and difficulty level of courses. Weights are assigned as follows:

• AP courses are weighted at .10
• Honors courses are weighted at .05
• Regents level courses are weighted at .03
• Final course grades appearing on the transcript are unweighted; only the cumulative GPA is weighted

NOTE: Tappan Zee High School halted in person learning on March 13, 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The building remained closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year. Final grades on transcripts from the 2019-2020 school year represented our typical grading system. During the 2020-2021 school year, our district implemented a hybrid learning approach. Half of our student body attended school for one week while the other half attended remotely from home. Each week, the cohort would switch. During the 2020-2021 school year, our special education students and students with learning needs were permitted to attend each week. Students who chose to learn remotely from home were allowed. Teachers modified lessons in order to best suit distance learning, students were provided with assignments/assessments and attendance was recorded. Discretion was implemented in grading students who faced significant challenges during this time. Please note that a combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction was utilized by our faculty during the entirety of remote learning (March 2020-June 2021).

Counseling Staff

If you need additional information or clarification of student records, the counselors would be pleased to assist you:

Kelly Keane, Counseling Team Leader
Counselors: Randy Altman, Jaime Holzer, Kathryn Marks and Glenda Rivera
Phone: 845-680-1614
Fax: 845-680-1929

We ask that you send the Counseling Department a copy of important correspondences between you and our students who are candidates for admission.

Class of 2023

National Merit Scholarship Program
3 Semi-Finalists
3 Commended Students

Grading Distribution: N= 247
Weighted Average (by range and number of students)
95%+: 88
90-94.99%: 68
85-89.99%: 36
80–84.99%: 22
75-79.99%: 19
70–74.99%: 8
65–69.99%: 6

NOTE: Tappan Zee High School offers the PSAT to all juniors

Class of 2022

National Merit Scholarship Program
1 Finalist
4 Commended Students

SAT
182 Participants
Mean Scores: ERW: 566 | M: 568

ACT
61 Participants
Mean Scores: Composite: 26.0 | English: 25.7 | Math: 25.3 | Reading: 27.2 | Science: 25.1

Advanced Regents and Regents Diplomas
Regents: 83
Advanced Regents: 119
Advanced Regents with Honors: 49

Post-Secondary Plans
Four-year colleges: 79%
Two-year Colleges: 11%
Employment/Other: 10%