County directory · New York · 2026–27
School districts in Jefferson County, NY
Jefferson County has 11 regular public school districts, enrolling 16,744 students in 2024–25. The largest is Watertown City School District (3,964 students, 24% of the county), followed by Indian River Central School District and Carthage Central School District. All 11 offer kindergarten. New York sets no statewide kindergarten cutoff.
The 11 districts, largest first
| District and office | Grades | Schools | Students | Kindergarten | District office contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watertown City School District 1351 WASHINGTON ST, WATERTOWN | Pre-K–12 | 8 | 3,964 | 305 | (315) 785-3700 |
| Indian River Central School District 32735-B COUNTY RT 29, PHILADELPHIA also serves St. Lawrence County | Pre-K–12 | 8 | 3,417 | 301 | (315) 642-3441 |
| Carthage Central School District 36500 NYS RTE 26, CARTHAGE also serves Lewis County | Pre-K–12 | 5 | 3,183 | 252 | (315) 493-5120 |
| South Jefferson Central School District 13180 US RT 11, ADAMS CENTER also serves Lewis County and Oswego County | Pre-K–12 | 4 | 1,797 | 111 | (315) 583-6104 |
| General Brown Central School District 17643 CEMETERY RD, DEXTER | Pre-K–12 | 3 | 1,374 | 91 | (315) 779-2300 |
| Thousand Islands Central School District 8483 COUNTY RT 9, CLAYTON | Pre-K–12 | 4 | 816 | 49 | (315) 686-5594 |
| Belleville-Henderson Central School District 8372 COUNTY RT 75, ADAMS | Pre-K–12 | 1 | 504 | 30 | (315) 846-5826 |
| Alexandria Central School District 34 BOLTON AVE, ALEXANDRIA BAY also serves St. Lawrence County | Pre-K–12 | 2 | 465 | 35 | (315) 482-9971 |
| La Fargeville Central School District 20414 SUNRISE AVE, LA FARGEVILLE | Pre-K–12 | 1 | 459 | 25 | (315) 658-2241 |
| Sackets Harbor Central School District 215 S BROAD ST, SACKETS HARBOR | Pre-K–12 | 1 | 418 | 37 | (315) 646-3575 |
| Lyme Central School District 11868 ACADEMY ST, CHAUMONT | Pre-K–12 | 1 | 347 | 18 | (315) 649-2417 |
Jefferson County at a glance
Together the 11 districts run 38 schools from offices in 11 towns. The smallest by enrollment is Lyme Central School District, with 347 students; the median Jefferson County district has 816. By grade span: 11 Pre-K–12.
Kindergarten in 2024–25, counting the 11 districts that report a K grade: 1,254 children. The biggest kindergarten was Watertown City School District's, with 305; Indian River Central School District had 301, and the smallest, Lyme Central School District, had 18.
Jefferson County holds 11 of New York's 716 regular districts (1.5%) and 0.7% of its 2,338,849 public school students, ranking 21st of 62 counties by number of districts and 25th by enrollment. By size, 5 enroll 1,000 to 4,999 and 6 have fewer than 1,000 students, and the average school here has about 441 students.
4 districts reach past the county line: Indian River Central School District (into St. Lawrence County), Carthage Central School District (into Lewis County), South Jefferson Central School District (into Lewis County and Oswego County) and Alexandria Central School District (into St. Lawrence County).
Which district am I in?
Each district draws its own attendance zones, so your home address decides it, and with 4 of Jefferson County's districts crossing county lines the county alone won't. There is no address lookup here; ask the district. Each one's own site:
Watertown City School District · Indian River Central School District · Carthage Central School District · South Jefferson Central School District · General Brown Central School District · Thousand Islands Central School District · Belleville-Henderson Central School District · Alexandria Central School District · La Fargeville Central School District · Sackets Harbor Central School District · Lyme Central School District
What grade will my child be in?
More in New York
Every New York district by county · New York kindergarten cutoff
More New York county directories: Albany County (12) · Allegany County (12) · Cattaraugus County (13) · Chautauqua County (18) · Oneida County (15) · St. Lawrence County (17)