Sag Harbor's original school district, the Union School District, was founded in 1862. The Union School operated out of a building on Main Street that now serves as the village's municipal building.[1]
In 2015–2016, the Sag Harbor School District was designated as a Reward School by New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia.[10]
In 2015, Sag Harbor UFSD ranked #21 of all school districts on Long Island in average SAT score.[11]
The current superintendent, Jeff Nichols, has held the role since May 2020. Nichols was the high school principal for 20 years and filled in as Acting Superintendent twice in 2019.[12] The prior superintendent, Katy Graves, left in January 2020 to become the director of the nearby Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center in East Hampton.[12] The district's offices are on the site of the Middle-High School at 200 Jermain Avenue.
Schools
Pierson Middle-High School, located at 200 Jermain Avenue, serves grades 6 through 12. In the 2019–2020 school year, there were 535 students.[6] The current principal is Brittany Carriero.[3] The school is named for Abraham Pierson, an ancestor of local philanthropist Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage whose provided funds in 1907 for the construction of a new school building.[1][13][14]
Sag Harbor Elementary School, located at 68 Hampton Street, serves grades K through 5. In the 2019–20 school year, there were 384 students.[6] The current principal is Matthew Malone.[3]
The Sag Harbor Learning Center, located at 130 Division Street, houses the district's pre-kindergarten division. The full-day program operates under the auspices of the elementary school and began in September 2021.[15] The building was purchased by the district in December 2016 at a cost of $3.3 million.[16][17] For the 2020–2021 school year, the building also housed the kindergarten class to allow for greater social distancing in the Elementary School due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15][17]
Central and Union Free school districts are authorized to operate high schools, though not all do, while common school districts may not operate high schools.