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No other county in America has more than three districts in the top 25
Long Island school districts hold three of the top 10 spots and six of the top 25 in Niche’s 2027 Best School Districts in America rankings, released Monday.
Roslyn ranks No. 2 in the nation, with Syosset and Jericho holding down Nos. 3 and 7, respectively.
Manhasset (No. 19), Hewlett-Woodmere (No. 21) and Herricks (No. 24) also cracked the national top 25.
No other county in America has more than three districts in the top 25.
Glenbrook High School District 225 in Illinois is the only district in America to beat Roslyn: New Trier Township in Illinois and Scarsdale in Westchester fill out the top five.
Long Island rules New York
Closer to home, Long Island districts hold eight of the top 10 spots among New York districts in Niche’s national rankings. Only Scarsdale, No. 3 in the state, and Briarcliff Manor, No. 9, break up the Long Island run.
Additionally, Long Island counts 17 of New York’s top 25 districts and 25 of the top 50. Long Island has 11 districts in the national top 100. Westchester has four.
The numbers come with a big asterisk: nearly all of Long Island’s top-tier strength is in Nassau.
Nassau has 10 districts in the national top 100 and 31 in the top 1,000, up from 27 last year.
Suffolk has one district in the national top 100. That’s Half Hollow Hills, which fell from No. 9 last year to No. 59. Suffolk placed 19 districts on the national list, down from 22.
Half Hollow Hills’ slide was the region’s steepest among the area’s top districts. Other big slips came from Great Neck, No. 20 to No. 54; East Williston from No. 26 to No. 51; and Three Village from No. 92 to No. 174.
Several districts moved sharply the other way. Sayville jumped from No. 986 to No. 489. Sewanhaka Central High School District rose from No. 711 to No. 369. Valley Stream Central High School District climbed from No. 720 to No. 390.
Wantagh, Carle Place, Baldwin and Mineola joined the national list. Bay Shore, Deer Park and Southampton fell off it.
High schools: Long Island leads New York outside the city
At the high school level, Long Island’s best are the best in New York — at least outside the New York City’s five boroughs.
Half Hollow Hills High School West in Dix Hills ranks No. 6 in New York and No. 32 in America. Syosset High School is right behind at No. 7 in the state and No. 33 nationally.
The only New York schools ranked higher are five selective New York City public schools.
Jericho High School rounds out Long Island’s trio in the national top 50 at No. 50. Last year, Long Island had just one school in the national top 50.
Manhasset (No. 65) and Roslyn (No. 85) make it five Long Island high schools in the national top 100.
Long Island has three of New York’s top 10 public high schools, eight of the top 25 and 18 of the top 50. Thirty-one Long Island high schools made Niche’s national top 1,000, up from 25 last year.
Elementary schools: a Nassau story
East Hills Elementary School in the Roslyn district ranks No. 10 in America. It’s the only Long Island elementary school in the national top 10.
In New York, only five Success Academy charter schools in the city rank higher. That makes East Hills the state’s top traditional public elementary school.
Long Island has four elementary schools in the national top 25 and eight in the top 50, all in Nassau. Syosset alone has five of Nassau’s top 10.
Long Island has nine of New York’s top 25 elementary schools and 22 of the top 50. Only of them is in Suffolk — Half Hollow Hills’ Vanderbilt Elementary, at No. 50.
Long Island’s overall elementary showing softened this year. Nine Long Island schools rank in the national top 100, down from 14 last year.
Middle schools and private schools
Syosset’s H.B. Thompson Middle School ranks No. 9 in America and No. 2 in New York among public middle schools. Roslyn Middle School and Syosset’s South Woods Middle School are close behind at Nos. 14 and 15 nationally.
Five of New York’s top 10 public middle schools are in Nassau. Half Hollow Hills’ Candlewood Middle School is Suffolk’s best at No. 13 in the state.
Among private schools, Friends Academy in Locust Valley is Long Island’s highest-ranked private high school at No. 20 in New York. The Stony Brook School ranks No. 13 in the state on Niche’s new standalone list of best college prep private high schools.
County top 10 lists
10 best school districts in Suffolk County
10 best school district in Nassau County
What changed this year
Niche’s rankings cover more than 93,000 public schools, 30,000 private schools and 11,000 school districts. They combine federal and state data with school-reported statistics and more than three million reviews from students, parents and teachers, Niche reported.
This year, public school test proficiency data comes from state-level sources rather than federal ones. Niche said that reflects more current student performance. Niche also split several rankings into separate public and private lists, including best college prep schools and best teachers.
“Families deserve a complete view of their options, whether they’re evaluating schools in their area or exploring what’s available elsewhere,” said Luke Skurman, Niche’s founder and CEO.
Long Island by the numbers
- School districts in the national top 10: 3 (Roslyn, Syosset and Jericho)
- School districts in the national top 25: 6
- School districts in the national top 100: 11 (Nassau 10, Suffolk 1)
- School districts in the national top 1,000: 50 (Nassau 31, Suffolk 19)
- New York’s top 10 districts on Long Island: 8
- Public high schools in the national top 50: 3
- Public high schools in the national top 100: 5
- Public high schools in New York’s top 50: 18
- Elementary schools in the national top 50: 8
- Elementary schools in New York’s top 50: 22
- Middle schools in the national top 10: 1
Top: Roslyn Schools
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