A Tale of Two Cities

“To lose your school is to lose your identity as a town.”

George Canon, Town Supervisor of Newcomb, New York

Rural New York school recruits overseas students

The tiny town of Andrew, Iowa (population 431) is my neighbor. Only a few miles down the road, it’s the typical small town: a smattering of houses, gas station, restaurant, bar, post office, fire department, and school. The school, a K-12 with 267 students, has been the pride of the community for 122 years. But it’s been on shaky ground these last few years. With dwindling student numbers and the resulting loss of state funds, parents and the community have pulled together to keep their school open: planning and strategizing, fundraising and belt tightening, and class sharing with a nearby school. This year, bowing under economic pressures, the school made the tough decision to reorganize. It will graduate its final senior class of 24 students next month, and when classes resume in the fall the school will operate as a K-8.


A thousand miles to the east, Newcomb, New York (population 445), tucked into a remote valley in the Adirondacks, tells a similar story but with a different ending. Even though the town’s population has been steadily shrinking since a local mine closed in the 1970s, enrollment in its school, a preK-12 with only 86 students, has grown. How can that be? About five years ago the school superintendent started thinking outside the box, way out—global, in fact. Clark “Skip” Hults began marketing Newcomb Central School as an American prep school for the international set. He had everything he needed: high educational standards, college-level courses, community support, and a picture-postcard setting. It’s working. This year, 29 of the school’s students are international or out of district: their home countries range from France and Russia to Iraq and Viet Nam. Each student pays $7,000, which includes a top-notch education and housing with a local family. The school’s students, both local and international, like the setup. The local kids say they like getting to know students from around the world, and the international kids like the small community—though it did take some getting used to. When they heard they were going to New York for school, some of the foreign students pictured big city and bright lights. What they ended up with are stunning mountain vistas, clean air, small town hospitality, and no cell phones (the mountains block the signal). After a bit of adjustment, the international kids say they love Newcomb. They wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Read the Articles:
The 1st day of the last year
Rural New York school recruits overseas students
Newcomb Central School offers an international learning experience