Half Hollow Hills tops Suffolk’s 10 best school districts again, but has steep slide on Niche’s national list

The Dix Hills district last year was No. 9 in the U.S.

Half Hollow Hills is still the best school district in Suffolk County. It just isn’t necessarily a top-10 district in America anymore.

The Dix Hills-based district ranks No. 59 nationally in Niche’s 2027 Best School Districts in America rankings, released on Monday. That’s the best showing of any Suffolk district and the only one in the national top 100.

It’s also a 50-spot drop. A year ago, Half Hollow Hills ranked No. 9 in the country and No. 3 in New York. This year, it’s No. 13 among New York districts.

Cold Spring Harbor (No. 168 nationally) and Three Village (No. 174) round out Suffolk’s top three. Harborfields and Mount Sinai come next.

Suffolk placed 19 districts in Niche’s national top 1,000 this year, down from 22 in Niche’s list posted ahead of 2026. Nassau meanwhile placed 31 in Niche’s most recent rankings.

Two districts are new to Suffolk’s top 10. Hauppauge climbed from No. 470 to No. 321 nationally, one of the biggest jumps in the county. Northport-East Northport rose from No. 462 to No. 417.

They replaced Westhampton Beach, which fell from No. 317 to No. 508 nationally, and South Huntington, which slipped from No. 422 to No. 520.

Mount Sinai (No. 260 to No. 228) and Commack (No. 364 to No. 331) also moved up. Three Village fell from No. 92 to No. 174.

The county’s biggest climber finished just outside the top 10. Sayville jumped from No. 986 to No. 489 nationally, landing at No. 11 in Suffolk.

Three Suffolk districts Bay Shore, Deer Park and Southampton — that made last year’s national list fell off it:

Niche builds its rankings from federal and state data, school-reported statistics and more than three million reviews from students, parents and teachers. This year, public school test proficiency data comes from state-level sources rather than federal ones, which Niche says reflects more current student performance.

Long Island counts 6 of America’s 25 best school districts

Nationally, Glenbrook High School District 225 in Illinois ranks No. 1. Nassau’s Roslyn and Syosset districts are Nos. 2 and 3.

3. Three Village Central School District

National rank: No. 174 (2026: No. 92). New York rank: No. 25.

4. Harborfields Central School District

National rank: No. 201 (2026: No. 184). New York rank: No. 27.

5. Mount Sinai School District

National rank: No. 228 (2026: No. 260). New York rank: No. 30.

6. Hauppauge Union Free School District

National rank: No. 321 (2026: No. 470). New York rank: No. 44.

7. Commack Union Free School District

National rank: No. 331 (2026: No. 364). New York rank: No. 45.

8. Northport-East Northport Union Free School District

National rank: No. 417 (2026: No. 462). New York rank: No. 56.

9. Elwood Union Free School District

National rank: No. 444 (2026: No. 313). New York rank: No. 59.

10. Smithtown Central School District

National rank: No. 457 (2026: No. 411). New York rank: No. 63.

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