About Us

The Brewster Central School District serves approximately 3,000 students, all of whom are housed in one of four different school buildings. There is one primary school – John F. Kennedy Elementary School, one intermediate school – C.V. Starr Intermediate School, one middle school – Henry H. Wells Middle School, and one high school – Brewster High School.  Brewster has earned a reputation as a nationally recognized, high performing school system with students who consistently perform at or above the levels of districts with similar demographic and economic profiles. 

Brewster Area Information

Brewster is located in the Town of Southeast, approximately 60 miles north of New York City in Putnam County. With its winding country roads and beautiful reservoirs, Southeast is a picturesque and tranquil community.  The Town of Southeast surrounds the independent and separately governed 134-acre Village of Brewster. Although the Town of Southeast is the larger municipality, the area is commonly referred to as “Brewster,” the name recognized by the Post Office and designated as zip code 10509.

For more information about the Town of Southeast, we invite you to visit their website: www.townofsoutheast-ny.com.

Vision

We believe that a Brewster Central School District education will be appropriate, challenging, holistic and will prepare students to be successful, productive citizens who contribute to society.

Mission

The mission of BCSD, the unifying center of a diverse community that embraces, engages, and supports every student, is to educate, inspire, and create multiple pathways for success that fosters responsible and impactful global citizens through the use of authentic and dynamic learning experiences that instill intellectual risk-taking, critical and creative thinking, and nurtures student well-being in partnership between school, home, and the community.

The Brewster Central School District is composed of four different school buildings. There is one primary school – John F. Kennedy, one intermediate school – C.V. Starr, one middle school – Henry H. Wells, and one high school – Brewster High School.

John F. Kennedy Elementary School

John F. Kennedy Elementary School was erected in 1964. Over the years, there have been a number of expansions to accommodate the increase in the student population, with a major renovation completed in 2017.  J.F.K. currently houses grades Pre-K-2.

C.V. Starr Intermediate School

The C. V. Starr Intermediate School was opened in January 1998. The erection of this building helped to solve some of the major overcrowding situations in the elementary schools and the middle school. When the doors were opened, 4th grade students from JFK Elementary and GSS Elementary, along with 5th grade students from the Wells Middle School were welcomed into a learning experience created exclusively for their developmental needs. C.V. Starr now houses third through fifth grades.

Henry H. Wells Middle School

Henry H. Wells is a middle school that houses three grade levels: sixth, seventh, and eighth. In 2025, Wells received the 2025 designation as a Middle School to Watch through the National Forum and NYS level of the Schools to Watch Program. This designation is recognition of the dedication our school community exhibits through the following four domains; academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity, and organizational structure.

Brewster High School

Brewster High School was built in 1971. It was the fourth building to be added to the Brewster Central School campus. In 1999, a major bond issue was passed by the Brewster voters allowing the high school to nearly double in size. With this new construction, the high school opened its doors to new science, math, art and music facilities. The new ‘state of the art’ building enhances the existing ‘state of the art’ curriculum.