Thank you to everyone who was able to join us as we celebrated our 75th Anniversary of Educational Excellence in 2025!

If you were not able to attend, you can view the StoryCorp Interviews here and the historical presentation here.

The Shenendehowa Central School District has a grand and honored history. What began as one and two-room school houses is now one of the largest central school districts in New York’s Capital Region. The Shenendehowa Central School District was organized on January 14, 1950, by a vote of the residents of 21 former common school districts and one union-free school district.

• Map of the district with the 22 schoolhouses

These 22 schools, educating children in the towns of Clifton Park, Halfmoon, Malta, Waterford, Ballston and Stillwater (representing approximately 86 square miles), became officially centralized on July 1, 1950.

From 1950 through 1953, the district housed grades K-8 in 16 one-, two- and three-room school houses plus an eight-room schoolhouse in Round Lake. All high school students (gr. 9-12) were transported to one of four high schools: Ballston Spa, Mechanicville, Waterford or Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.

In 1951, the School District voted to purchase 160 acres to build an 1,800-pupil school for kindergarten through grade 12. This land was part of the "Shenendahowe" or Clifton Park Patent of 1708. The Iroquois word “Shenendahowe” means Great Plains. That’s how the district became known as Shenendehowa Central Schools.