West Babylon? (New York, Islip, Deer Park: neighborhood, school district, live)

[TrudiRose]

Thanks! That's really helpful! I was thinking about North Babylon too - my one concern is the middle school and high school there. I went on GreatSchools.net, and North Babylon's middle and high school didn't sound too good - do you have any insight about that? When I was in West Babylon I chatted with someone who said that North Babylon itself is actually very nice, but that the school district also includes kids from Wyandanch, which is NOT a good area, so that unfortunately makes the North Babylon schools not as good as they should be.

But there are also parts of North Babylon that use the Babylon school district, so I'm definitely looking at those houses too! I also like the fact that a lot of the North Babylon houses for sale are right near the park.

If you have any thoughts on North Babylon's middle and high school, I'd love to hear about it! That's really my only concern about that neighborhood.

(Oh, and yes, we're secular Jews. We go to temple on the major holidays, our kids go to Hebrew School once a week, and our son will have a Bar Mitzvah - but we don't keep kosher, we drive on Saturday, etc. So I don't need a "Jewish area" per se, and in fact, I wouldn't want to live in an Orthodox/Hassidic Jewish area, because we wouldn't fit in there! I just want to know that there are SOME other Jews in town, that there's a temple to go to, and that my kids' school will acknowledge Hanukkah along with Christmas, so my kids don't feel left out. So it all sounds fine. )

[momix5]

I have friends in both, they are both nice. There is a lot to do in both areas.

[nbres]

TrudiRose:

You need to come out here and check out North Babylon for yourself. Take the Belt Parkway East to the Southern State, get off at exit 40 going north on Deer Park Avenue, go all the way to left on DP AVE and at the light make a left onto August Rd. (which will take you into Sunset City), then make a right onto Elkton and then a left onto Interlaken (now drive around and explore). The Elementary school is Woods Road on Woods Road.

[nbres]

Tudirose:

OOPs, SSP to exit 39. Everything else is OK. Exit 40 is on the Sunrise hwy to DP Ave.

[nancy thereader]

You really would not want to move from Park Slope to North Babylon. Remember the You-Tube episode with the girls fighting. THAT was North Babylon. Don't you have PS 321 as your elementary school ? Once your kids get to Junior High , I guess it would be time to make the move to West Babylon, though.

[TrudiRose]

Thanks for the input, Nancy!

PS 321 is actually Park Slope, and yeah, that school IS the jewel of the area. We're in Windsor Terrace, so my kids go to PS 154, which is still very good. However, my son is about to enter 5th grade, so the following year, it will be time for middle school (aka junior high school), and that is a VERY scary prospect around here! Here, you don't simply go to a local zoned junior high and high school. Instead, you have to go to middle school "fairs" and visit all the middle schools in person, and then fill out an application with your top TWELVE choices (even though there are only two or three middle schools that are good around here), and then they do a lottery to see what you get! It's terrifying.

So yeah, I definitely would like to move next year, BEFORE he starts middle school, and move to an area where I KNOW that he'll automatically be zoned for a good middle school and high school based solely on my address.

NBRES, it's not simply a matter of driving around North Babylon and seeing what it looks like - I'm sure it's a lovely area! As I said, my big concern right now is the middle school and high school. From what I've heard and read, it seems that North Babylon's middle school and high school unfortunately also includes students from Wyandanch, which makes them not as good schools as those in West Babylon and Babylon. If you have other information, though, I'd be happy to hear it! That's why I'm posting here, to get as much info as possible!

[onrway2clt]

Originally Posted by TrudiRose

Thanks for the input, Nancy!

PS 321 is actually Park Slope, and yeah, that school IS the jewel of the area. We're in Windsor Terrace, so my kids go to PS 154, which is still very good. However, my son is about to enter 5th grade, so the following year, it will be time for middle school (aka junior high school), and that is a VERY scary prospect around here! Here, you don't simply go to a local zoned junior high and high school. Instead, you have to go to middle school "fairs" and visit all the middle schools in person, and then fill out an application with your top TWELVE choices (even though there are only two or three middle schools that are good around here), and then they do a lottery to see what you get! It's terrifying.

So yeah, I definitely would like to move next year, BEFORE he starts middle school, and move to an area where I KNOW that he'll automatically be zoned for a good middle school and high school based solely on my address.

NBRES, it's not simply a matter of driving around North Babylon and seeing what it looks like - I'm sure it's a lovely area! As I said, my big concern right now is the middle school and high school. From what I've heard and read, it seems that North Babylon's middle school and high school unfortunately also includes students from Wyandanch, which makes them not as good schools as those in West Babylon and Babylon. If you have other information, though, I'd be happy to hear it! That's why I'm posting here, to get as much info as possible!

What are the names of the middle and high schools?

[TrudiRose]

What are the names of the middle and high schools?

Where, in North Babylon or in Park Slope?

In North Babylon there's Robert Moses Middle School and North Babylon High School.

In West Babylon there's West Babylon Junior High School and West Babylon Senior High School, and in Babylon there's Babylon Junior/Senior High School (just one school for both.)

I go on GreatSchools.net for school info - great site.

[onrway2clt]

Originally Posted by TrudiRose

Where, in North Babylon or in Park Slope?

In North Babylon there's Robert Moses Middle School and North Babylon High School.

In West Babylon there's West Babylon Junior High School and West Babylon Senior High School, and in Babylon there's Babylon Junior/Senior High School (just one school for both.)

I go on GreatSchools.net for school info - great site.

Looks like the North Babylon junior high school needs improvement

School Profile - Robert Moses Middle School, North Babylon Union Free School District - School Data - New York - NCEA/Just for the Kids

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by NY - Dallas

Looks like the North Babylon junior high school needs improvement

School Profile - Robert Moses Middle School, North Babylon Union Free School District - School Data - New York - NCEA/Just for the Kids

Sorry Nbres.
I do like the areas you discussed but truth be told the surrounds have been declining in recent years.


I was just out with a buddy who lived there for 10 years and recently sold to move to Smithtown.
His business of 20 years is in Deer Park and apparently crimes on the rise and he says the whole place has really gone downhill during his tim there.

I was surprised to hear it...those were really nice blue collar towns when I was a kid.

I think the Middle of the island has some major ???marks of late.

If you can strech a little go North

If you must stay south Id hold out for Babylon or West Islip.

C