Two Suffolk County schools made New York’s top 100 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings, released Tuesday.
Quogue Elementary School finished No. 25 among New York elementary schools. That made it the highest-ranked elementary school on Long Island. It was No. 181 last year.
Cold Spring Harbor Junior/Senior High School finished No. 26 on the middle-school list, up from No. 70 last year, the highest-ranked school on Long Island in that category. The district does not have a separate middle school; its seventh and eighth graders attend the grades 7-12 building, which U.S. News lists as Cold Spring Harbor High School.
No other Suffolk school made the state’s top 100 on either list.
New York City public schools dominated the rankings. They claimed 83 of the top 100 elementary spots and 78 of the top 100 middle-school spots. Outside the city, Nassau schools took most of the remaining places.
Behind Quogue, Suffolk’s next-best elementary school was West Side School in the Cold Spring Harbor district, at No. 166. It fell from No. 21 last year. The Cold Spring Harbor district placed two schools in the county’s elementary top 10.
On the middle-school side, Three Village’s Paul J. Gelinas Junior High School was Suffolk’s second-best at No. 132. It was No. 45 last year. Riverhead Charter School in Calverton followed at No. 151.
Half Hollow Hills placed two schools on each of Suffolk’s top 10 lists. Three Village had one elementary school and two middle schools in the county’s top 10s.
Shoreham-Wading River’s Albert G. Prodell Middle School made one of the biggest jumps, from No. 599 to No. 362.
U.S. News changed its approach this year by adding data collected directly from state education agencies. Some of the year-over-year movement may reflect that change.
The rankings cover about 46,000 public elementary schools and more than 24,000 middle schools nationwide. Schools are ranked within their states and their districts. The rankings measure student performance in math and reading/language arts, weighed against student background. Student-teacher ratios are used to break ties.
“By incorporating direct state data across all proficiency levels, the 2027 rankings offer a richer, more complete picture of how elementary and middle schools are driving student growth,” said Eric Brooks, U.S. News director of education data analysis.
Here are Suffolk’s top 10 elementary and middle schools, with their 2027 New York state rank.
Suffolk’s top 10 elementary schools
- Quogue Elementary School, Quogue — No. 25
- West Side School, Cold Spring Harbor — No. 166
- Flower Hill School, Huntington — No. 249
- Lloyd Harbor School, Cold Spring Harbor — No. 259
- The Academy Charter School 2, Wyandanch — No. 270
- Nassakeag Elementary School, Three Village (East Setauket) — No. 306
- East Moriches Elementary School, East Moriches — No. 319
- Paumanok Elementary School, Half Hollow Hills (Dix Hills) — No. 335
- Parkview Elementary School, Kings Park — No. 392
- Vanderbilt Elementary School, Half Hollow Hills (Dix Hills) — No. 402
*West Side School is in Syosett (Nassau), but is part of the Suffolk-based Cold Spring Harbor school district.
Suffolk’s top 10 middle schools
- Cold Spring Harbor Junior/Senior High School, Cold Spring Harbor — No. 26
- Paul J. Gelinas Junior High School (aka Middle School), Three Village (Setauket) — No. 132
- Riverhead Charter School, Calverton — No. 151
- Robert Cushman Murphy Junior High School, Three Village (Stony Brook) — No. 353
- Pierson Middle/High School, Sag Harbor — No. 357
- Candlewood Middle School, Half Hollow Hills (Dix Hills) — No. 361
- Albert G. Prodell Middle School, Shoreham-Wading River (Shoreham) — No. 362
- West Hollow Middle School, Half Hollow Hills (Melville) — No. 381
- Bridgehampton School, Bridgehampton — No. 390
- Mattituck Junior-Senior High School, Mattituck-Cutchogue (Mattituck) — No. 423
The full rankings are available at U.S. News & World Report.
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