Lowville Academy and Central School District

Photo of the front of Lowville Academy and Central School Chartered by the State of New York in 1808, Lowville Academy and Central School occupies a single pre-kindergarten through grade 12 building and serves approximately 1,420 students. The school, with a professional teaching staff of 135 and an instructional support staff of 110, has long enjoyed a reputation for excellence in the north country.

Lowville, the seat of Lewis County, lies in the Black River Valley between the foothills of the Adirondacks and the Tug Hill Plateau.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Lowville Academy and Central School District is to provide a responsible and comprehensive education program that meets the immediate and long-term affective, cognitive, and developmental needs of individual students, resulting in people who are happy and self-confident, who perform consistently to their ability, and who are prepared to be contributing and productive members in tomorrow's society.

Lowville Academy and Central School Educational Foundation

The Lowville Central School District Educational Foundation was recently established in partnership with the Northern New York Community Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The over-arching goal of the Educational Foundation is to supplement, support, enrich and enhance the educational experience, emphasizing excellence to help prepare students for a successful future.

Frequently Asked Questions

- To enhance learning opportunities for students
- To encourage innovative educational programs
- To recognize student, teacher, and staff achievements
- To foster greater parent involvement
- To engage new partners and deepen community support for schools
- To augment traditional public funding
- To fund programs not normally included in the school budgets
- To provide tax-deductible opportunities to support educational programs for all residents
- Promote public/private partnerships and enable the Lowville Academy and Central School District to benefit from corporate grants and matching gifts
- Can serve as a vehicle and conduit to fund specific programs or projects within the school
- Allows donors to direct their gifts to the area of greatest need or for a specific area of interest within the school
- Provides the ideal setting to establish a scholarship fund that will endure in perpetuity
The Lowville Academy and Central School District Educational Foundation accepts donations from individuals, organizations, alumni groups, businesses, private grant sources, and through various fundraising activities.
No. Since the late 1970s, over 3,000 communities across the country have established educational foundations with similar missions. There are more than 60 educational foundations operating in New York State. Several school districts have similar funds being administered under the auspices of the Northern New York Community Foundation.
Since 1929, the Northern New York Community Foundation has connected donor interests with community needs. The Community Foundation’s infrastructure and economies of scale provide the benefits of a diverse investment portfolio, such as solid total returns and lower investment fees that typically come only with very large funds. Having the Community Foundation manage an endowment minimizes staff and board time for investment management and administration, including audits and tax reporting. This is time that could otherwise be focused on the core mission of the school. A Community Foundation fund also protects the donor intent of gifts, including scholarship funds. In the event of any changes at the school, donors who have made gifts for a specific purpose are ensured that their gift will be properly stewarded in perpetuity.
Individuals, businesses, community groups, and civic organizations are invited to become supporters with a tax-deductible contribution. The Foundation also accepts gifts of stock or other more complex giving methods. Those that may desire to leave a legacy to support the school, either in general, or to support specific programs within the school, can also make a provision in their will to support the Lowville Academy and Central School District Educational Foundation. For legal purposes, the gift should be made to the Northern New York Community Foundation for the use of LACS.