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Stewart Manor Elementary was named a Blue Ribbon school in 2006. THAT is an excellent school, my children are both in it now and I've been very happy with the school. That said, the majority of Stewart Manor residents tend to send their kids to St. Anne's in GC. My biggest beef with Sewanhaka is there is no middle school -- I really dislike lumping kids from grades 7-12 in one building.
If it's a priority and you truly want a great school district on Long Island, skip Elmont. You could do A LOT better for your budget. BTW, things generally tend to get cheaper as you go east....not the other way around. Unless you need to stick to that area because of other factors (commute, family, etc.), there are tons of possibilities beyond places that touch the NYC border.
That said, for anyone else who stumbles across this thread in the future....as long as your bible isn't the wonky Newsday 8th Grade English Test Scores list, Elmont & Sewanhaka actually perform fairly well academically. Not some of the top-tier or even top-half districts on LI, but certainly nowhere near the bottom.....and on par with several middle-class districts in Suffolk that are highly regarded. I question Newsday's vigilance in compiling that data, since on one list (Algebra Regents) they have Ward Melville HS - the school that has all the Intel Semifinalists every year - ranked THIRD FROM THE BOTTOM, while Sewanhaka is #12 overall. Ridiculous.
The only source of statistical data on this subject worth mentioning is the NY State School Report Card (https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb/Home.do?year=2009 - broken link), which all other lists/reports/etc. are compiled from. It doesn't have an easy to follow, top-to-bottom ranking system, but there is plenty of useful information there.
8th Grade English test scores are MUCH more important (probably the most important metric) than looking at one of the random regents results. If 30-60% of the students ENTERING HIGH SCHOOL are reading at the 5th grade level, that's a major problem imho. The damage is already done. Like a sponge that's lost its ability to absorb. The newsday link is by no means the bible, but gives a good overall snapshot, in a broad sense, of how these schools are performing.
I'm sure Sean Sean, Joe and Pequa will echo this. With $400K price range you can't get better than North Wantagh and Levittown (the more south the more bucks). Both have salt of the earth people with good school districts, and only petty crime----no gangs, shootings for many miles. Good value now after prices dropped, but no transition with flight. Expect tax rape at $8K-10K. I grew up in Wantagh and my brother still lives there.--Good luck
aren't the Alden Terrace School in and Stewart Manor School in Elmont SD 16 good? i saw a rating of 8 in greatschools.com for and those r not in the newsday report either. so if we live in Eloont SD 16 can we send our kids to any of those schools. BTW i am really new to LI don't know much abt how the school system works.
I'm happy with Stewart Manor, don't know anything about Alden Terrace. One thing about LI schools that's different from NYC is that you can't send your kids to any school in the distrcit, schools are specific to where your house is located. I wish I had known that before I moved to LI. So if you are interested in a specific house, you need to inquire as to the specific elementary/high schools your children would go to.
aren't the Alden Terrace School in and Stewart Manor School in Elmont SD 16 good? i saw a rating of 8 in greatschools.com for and those r not in the newsday report either. so if we live in Eloont SD 16 can we send our kids to any of those schools.
Generally, no. Within each independent school district, the school board determines the attendance zone for each school within that school district. Under certain, and usually rare, circumstances, the school board may allow a student who is in one school's attendance zone to attend a school in a different attendance zone within the school district.
Quote:
Originally Posted by geethal
BTW i am really new to LI don't know much abt how the school system works.
Both Nassau and Suffolk County have 50+ school districts. These 50+ school districts are independent governing units and are not under the control of any local gov't.
NYS School Districts may be of some help to you in understanding the different type of school districts in New York State.
And, very importantly, among other things, the Census Bureau's online address search function also indicates in which school district an address is located.
The bottom line is this: if you would feel comfortable living in an area where there is a significant black population, then Elmont is great. Generally speaking, Long Islanders are on the xenophobic side and they equate "black" to "bad."
I personally find the north, northwest, west, and southwest areas of Elmont less desirable than the other parts. These sections tend to be more like less desirable parts of Queens Village. There is some blight. There is some crime (rarely serious). If you're not black, you will probably not feel comfortable there. The other parts of Elmont are a bit more mixed. The northeastern corner that borders Franklin Square is probably the "best" part. However, houses in that area approach and exceed $400,000.
A friend of mine just bought a nice house on the south side, right off Dutch Harbor. She paid $275,000. The house is lovely. The neighborhood is quiet. These houses that are going for $275,000 now were selling for close to $500,000 in 2004. They are undervalued.
As with anything, go see it for yourself. It's ultimately up to you. Me, personally, I would live in Elmont under the right conditions (good house, good price, good section). But I'd say there are definitely better areas. My friend bought there because she couldn't afford New Hyde Park. I don't think Elmont is anyone's number one choice but don't let folks on here scare you. It's not Roosevelt.
I graduated from Sewanhaka in 91 and lived in Elmont for about 20 years (from age 14-34). I moved away 5.5 years ago and still have family living there. Through the years I have watched the town steadily decline. I landscaped houses in Elmont for 15 years so I know every street well. Almost every single house has an illegal apartment and many are not owner occupied. The streets are lined with cars from all of the rentals and it looks just like queens. There are several blocks throughout the town that are still nice but not so many. I moved because we had children and would not send them to the Elmont schools.
The bottom line is this: if you would feel comfortable living in an area where there is a significant black population, then Elmont is great. Generally speaking, Long Islanders are on the xenophobic side and they equate "black" to "bad."
I personally find the north, northwest, west, and southwest areas of Elmont less desirable than the other parts. These sections tend to be more like less desirable parts of Queens Village. There is some blight. There is some crime (rarely serious). If you're not black, you will probably not feel comfortable there. The other parts of Elmont are a bit more mixed. The northeastern corner that borders Franklin Square is probably the "best" part. However, houses in that area approach and exceed $400,000.
A friend of mine just bought a nice house on the south side, right off Dutch Harbor. She paid $275,000. The house is lovely. The neighborhood is quiet. These houses that are going for $275,000 now were selling for close to $500,000 in 2004. They are undervalued.
As with anything, go see it for yourself. It's ultimately up to you. Me, personally, I would live in Elmont under the right conditions (good house, good price, good section). But I'd say there are definitely better areas. My friend bought there because she couldn't afford New Hyde Park. I don't think Elmont is anyone's number one choice but don't let folks on here scare you. It's not Roosevelt.
Dead on accurate post. Elmont schools, with the exclusion of Covert Ave (35%) and Stewart Manor, (43%) are less than 1% white. Diversity is one thing, but most people wouldn't feel comfortable with having their kid attend a school where they are the anomoly.
Bottom line, Elmont is a decent working class "minority" neighborhood. But, if these demographics fit what you are looking for, I'd consider Queens Village and Cambria Heights as they are similar to Elmont, but you will save lots of property taxes by staying in Queens.
There are parts of Elmont that belong to Valley Stream School District 13 (off Dutch Broadway btween Flectcher and Franklin Ave).
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