Niche reveals 2026 top 10 Nassau County school districts

Nassau districts dominate New York rankings

Nassau County school districts continue to lead the way in New York State, according to Niche’s 2026 Best Schools and Districts rankings officially released on Monday.

Eleven of the top 20 school districts in the state are located in Nassau, underscoring the county’s sustained excellence in public education. Among the top 50, Nassau is home to 18 districts — more than any other county in New York.

Westchester County followed Nassau with 14 districts in the top 50. Suffolk County counted 8, giving Long Island a total of 26 in the top 50.

The annual Niche rankings evaluate districts based on a combination of academic performance, teacher quality, graduation rates, college readiness and reviews from students and parents.

Syosset ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 2 nationally, while Roslyn followed closely at No. 2 statewide and No. 3 nationally. Jericho, Great Neck, Manhasset and East Williston also placed within New York’s top 10.

Last year, 25 Long Island districts were included in the state’s top 50. This year’s total of 26 — 18 in Nassau and 8 in Suffolk — reflects both a modest gain and the steady strength of Long Island’s public schools.

Best of the best: Nassau’s top 10 school districts

Below is a breakdown of the 10 highest rated school districts in Nassau County, according to Niche’s report for 2026. All 10 placed in the top 15 in New York, as well as in the top 70 in the United States.

(Scroll down for full lists of the state’s top 20 school districts and the country’s top 100 school districts)

10. Bellmore-Merrick

National ranking: No. 67
Niche overall grade: A+
Teacher category grade: A+
Lowest Niche grade: B- in Diversity
Graduation rate: 96%
Number of students: 5,266
Money spent per student: $29,964
Average SAT score: 1270

New York’s top 20 school districts, per Niche

1. Syosset — Nassau
2. Roslyn — Nassau
3. Half Hollow Hills — Suffolk
4. Jericho — Nassau
5. Scarsdale — Westchester
6. Great Neck — Nassau
7. Manhasset — Nassau
8. East Williston — Nassau
9. Bethpage — Nassau
10. Hewlett-Woodmere — Nassau
11. Herricks — Nassau
12. Chappaqua — Westchester
13. Briarcliff Manor — Westchester
14. Bellmore-Merrick — Nassau
15. Pittsford — Monroe
16. Three Village — Suffolk
17. Pelham — Westchester
18. Plainview-Old Bethpage — Nassau
19. Edgemont — Westchester
20. Brighton — Monroe

School District	State
26. East Williston*	New York
27. Northville	Michigan
28. New Canaan	Connecticut
29. Bethpage*	New York
30. Northern Valley Regional	New Jersey
31. Public Schools of Brookline	Massachusetts
32. Wayzata	Minnesota
33. Niles Township Community No. 219	Illinois
34. Hewlett-Woodmere*	New York
35. ISU Laboratory	Illinois
36. Indian Prairie Community Unit No. 204	Illinois
37. Tredyffrin-Easttown	Pennsylvania
38. Barrington Community Unit No. 220	Illinois
39. West Lafayette Community Corporation	Indiana
40. Herricks*	New York
41. Mariemont City	Ohio
42. Clayton	Missouri
43. San Marino Unified	California
44. Chappaqua Central	New York
45. Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified	California
46. Homewood City	Alabama
47. Mason City	Ohio
48. South Pasadena Unified	California
49. Minnetonka	Minnesota
50. Fremont Union	California

School District	State
51. Naperville Community Unit No. 203	Illinois
52. Redondo Beach Unified	California
53. Township HS District No. 214	Illinois
54. Piedmont City Unified	California
55. Solon City	Ohio
56. Arcadia Unified	California
57. West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional	New Jersey
58. Acalanes Union	California
59. South Texas Independent	Texas
60. Troy	Michigan
61. Weston	Massachusetts
62. Carroll Independent	Texas
63. Blue Valley Unified	Kansas
64. Briarcliff Manor Union Free	New York
65. Carmel Unified	California
66. Carmel Clay	Indiana
67. Bellmore-Merrick*	New York
68. Mt. Lebanon	Pennsylvania
69. Fox Chapel Area	Pennsylvania
70. San Mateo Union	California
71. Lexington	Massachusetts
72. Darien	Connecticut
73. Hopkinton	Massachusetts
74. Northern Utah Academy for Math Engineering & Science (NUAMES)	Utah
75. Elmbrook	Wisconsin

School District	State
76. Grapevine-Colleyville Independent	Texas
77. Lower Merion	Pennsylvania
78. Tamalpais Union	California
79. Coppell Independent	Texas
80. Community HS District No. 155	Illinois
81. Tenafly Public	New Jersey
82. Ridgewood Public	New Jersey
83. Pleasanton Unified	California
84. Pittsford Central	New York
85. Vestavia Hills City	Alabama
86. Oak Park Unified	California
87. Auburn City	Alabama
88. Wilton	Connecticut
89. Madison City	Alabama
90. Dover-Sherborn Regional	Massachusetts
91. Fort Mill	South Carolina
92. Three Village*	New York
93. Mountain Lakes	New Jersey
94. Pelham	New York
95. Belmont	Massachusetts
96. Grayslake Community No. 127	Illinois
97. Elmhurst No. 205	Illinois
98. Princeton	New Jersey
99. Lincoln-Way Community No. 210	Illinois
100. Greenwich	Connecticut

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