Please Help Me w/ LI Schools (Hempstead, Babylon: work, house, college)

[Jrprofess]

Originally Posted by clamboy

Oh boy is your Fairfield County upbringing is starting to show JrProf.
Dont you snob out on us now ; ).
You can skew the data any way you want to justify those taxes but per the numbers,RPHS looks pretty good to me.

Parenting has everything to do with a childs College decisions.
Despite the blue collar underpinning, Im relatively confident my kids will still find a way to make it happen.

I think the metric to really consider is % of Free Lunch.
When we were looking at CT we found that to be the most telling aspect of all.
Poverty is generally the culprit of every troubled district.

For the record, Id have no issue sending my kids to Longwood.
I know MANY happy parents there.
Numbers dont always tell the whole story

C

I am going to set aside my feelings on your overtly editing in the "Fairfield County snob" comment after your original submission...unfair. And my parents were budget conscious penny-pinching folks who made sure from the moment I worked I saved to contribute to much of my education. I did not grow up on the gold coast of the county...much further north.

I know numbers do not tell the whole story but teachers often times add some nice insight, and it helps to be married to one. Have two very good friends, Longwood teachers, grew up in Sayville and Hicksville respectively. Would not send their kids there. They are in the high school. They come from working class families. For me that says something. To each their own.

Look, I do not want to hijack the poster's thread. Best of luck in your decision OP. You will certainly hear from hundreds more with differing opinions.

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by Jrprofess

I am going to set aside my feelings on your overtly editing in the "Fairfield County snob" comment after your original submission...unfair. And my parents were budget conscious penny-pinching folks who made sure from the moment I worked I saved to contribute to much of my education. I did not grow up on the gold coast of the county...much further north.

I know numbers do not tell the whole story but teachers often times add some nice insight, and it helps to be married to one. Have two very good friends, Longwood teachers, grew up in Sayville and Hicksville respectively. Would not send their kids there. They are in the high school. They come from working class families. For me that says something. To each their own.

Look, I do not want to hijack the poster's thread. Best of luck in your decision OP. You will certainly hear from hundreds more with differing opinions.

You gotta let me finish ..I was editing.

When I was looking at Tolland county boy did you guys get some bad press up there.

Im just effin with you.

I agree lets let it lie.

OP will get an earful.

C

[sean sean sean sean]

As per the clam-man's request in another thread, here's the updated 2006 data he posted earlier for the high schools in the districts you asked for info on. The "standard ranking" this site uses (see the link in his post) is the sum of the percentage of students who scored above 85 on Regents English, Regents Global History and Regents US History exams.

School (District)........................................ ...........Standard Ranking
Herricks High School (Herricks)........................................ ...212.4
JFK (Bellmore-Merrick).......................................... ............212.0
Wantagh High School (Wantagh)........................................2 11.7
Carle Place Senior High School (Carle Place).........................200.4
Calhoun (Bellmore-Merrick).......................................... ......197.3
Gen. Douglas MacArthur HS (LEVITTOWN)............................194.3
Babylon Senior High School (Babylon)...................................190.0
Massapequa High School (Massapequa)................................186.8
Lynbrook Senior HS (Lynbrook)........................................ ...186.3
Hicksville High School (Hicksville)...................................... ..178.1
South Side High School (Rockville Centre)............................175.4
Mepham (Bellmore-Merrick).......................................... ......168.6
Bethpage Senior High School (Bethpage)..............................165.7
Island Trees HS (Island Trees)............................................ 162.6
Commack High School (Commack).......................................15 9.0
Mineola High School (Mineola)......................................... ...157.1
Oceanside Senior High School............................................ 156.7
Division Avenue HS (Levittown)....................................... ...151.5
Seaford High School (Seaford)......................................... ..147.7
Plainedge Senior High School (Plainedge)..............................145.0
W. Tresper Clarke High School (East Meadow).......................138.3
West Babylon SHS (West Babylon)......................................125. 5
East Meadow High School (East Meadow).............................114.0
East Rockaway SHS (East Rockaway)..................................111.8

Hope this helps at least somewhat!

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean

As per the clam-man's request in another thread, here's the updated 2006 data he posted earlier for the high schools in the districts you asked for info on. The "standard ranking" this site uses (see the link in his post) is the sum of the percentage of students who scored above 85 on Regents English, Regents Global History and Regents US History exams.

School (District)........................................ ...........Standard Ranking
Herricks High School (Herricks)........................................ ...212.4
JFK (Bellmore-Merrick).......................................... ............212.0
Wantagh High School (Wantagh)........................................2 11.7
Carle Place Senior High School (Carle Place).........................200.4
Calhoun (Bellmore-Merrick).......................................... ......197.3
Gen. Douglas MacArthur HS (LEVITTOWN)............................194.3
Babylon Senior High School (Babylon)...................................190.0
Massapequa High School (Massapequa)................................186.8
Lynbrook Senior HS (Lynbrook)........................................ ...186.3
Hicksville High School (Hicksville)...................................... ..178.1
South Side High School (Rockville Centre)............................175.4
Mepham (Bellmore-Merrick).......................................... ......168.6
Bethpage Senior High School (Bethpage)..............................165.7
Island Trees HS (Island Trees)............................................ 162.6
Commack High School (Commack).......................................15 9.0
Mineola High School (Mineola)......................................... ...157.1
Oceanside Senior High School............................................ 156.7
Division Avenue HS (Levittown)....................................... ...151.5
Seaford High School (Seaford)......................................... ..147.7
Plainedge Senior High School (Plainedge)..............................145.0
W. Tresper Clarke High School (East Meadow).......................138.3
West Babylon SHS (West Babylon)......................................125. 5
East Meadow High School (East Meadow).............................114.0
East Rockaway SHS (East Rockaway)..................................111.8

Hope this helps at least somewhat!

Thank SeanSean
Please post the whole list and Suffolk too if you can.
Im curious how far off that other site was.
They would only offer up the 2001 data for free or I wouldve posted to 2006.
(Is this the same site?)
It would be intersting to see the trends since 01
C

[lilibrarian]

Thanks for posting the info. I can't say much about the Suffolk, but the Nassau rankings are pretty on the mark, IMO. Hey look JRProfess, MacArthur scored very well!! Levittown is not "eh". They've got about every educational service and program known to man. (TO OP, if you look in Levittown, focus on the area that feeds into MacArthur, not only for school reasons, but for not having Hempstead Tpke in your yard.)

Just for my opinion, you will have drugs or alcohol everywhere in varying degrees. In more affluent areas you've got spoiled, entitled kids who can afford to try anything. In more blue collar areas, you've got, for lack of a better word white trashy kids who are not college bound. Future losers for different reasons. It's definitely where parenting comes into play, where and how you encourage your kids. Different issues than the city, and in some ways easier ones, but I think everywhere in this day in age, you've gotta keep on top of your kids, know who they're hanging out with and what you expect from them.

On a practical note, I wouldn't sweat elementary scores. It makes me laugh when people are worried about which elementary school. Kids are still so eager to please at this age that your influence will still be huge. It's in the ms/hs level that lower scores are troubling. The Regents diploma rate is a big one for me. If kids can't pass a certain number of Regents...it defintely bears investigating. Large Special Ed. numbers? Large ESL population? Or kids just not acheiving? [These factors do make a difference to me, b/c I suspect that some of the "best" districts are not doing right by their Special Ed kids (and fudging) in order to attain those numbers].

[sean sean sean sean]

Originally Posted by clamboy

Thank SeanSean
Please post the whole list and Suffolk too if you can.
Im curious how far off that other site was.
They would only offer up the 2001 data for free.
It would be intersting to see the trends since 01
C

Here goes....

School (District)........................................ ............Standard Ranking (County)
Wheatley School (East Williston)........................................ .245.0 (N)
Cold Spring Harbor HS (CHS Central)....................................238.0 (S)
Great Neck South (Great Neck)...........................................23 6.6 (N)
Plainview-Old Bethpage (Plainview-Old Bethpage)..................232.7 (N)
Roslyn High School (Roslyn).......................................... .....232.1 (N)
Garden City HS (Garden City)............................................. 231.7 (N)
Syosset High School (Syosset)......................................... ..230.7 (N)
Manhasset High School (Manhasset)....................................227 .6 (N)
Jericho HS (Jericho)......................................... .................225.0 (N)
Paul D. Schreiber (Port Washington).....................................22 3.4 (N)
Herricks High School (Herricks)........................................ ....212.4 (N)
JFK (Bellmore-Merrick).......................................... .............212.0 (N)
Wantagh High School (Wantagh)......................................... 211.7 (N)
Locust Valley HS (Locust Valley).........................................21 0.5 (N)
Hauppauge High School (Hauppauge)...................................208. 1 (S)
Harborfields High School (Harborfields Central).......................205.7 (S)
Carle Place Senior High School (Carle Place)..........................200.4 (N)
Half Hollow Hills HS West (Half Hollow Hills)............................197.9 (S)
Half Hollow Hills HS East (Half Hollow Hills).............................197.8 (S)
Ward Melville (Three Village).......................................... .....197.7 (S)
Calhoun (Bellmore-Merrick).......................................... .......197.3 (N)
Great Neck North (Great Neck)...........................................19 6.1 (N)
Smithtown High School East (Smithtown).............................195.2 (S)
Mount Sinai High School (Mount Sinai).................................194.8 (S)
Gen. Douglas MacArthur HS (LEVITTOWN)............................194.3 (N)
Earl L. Vandermeulen HS (Port Jefferson)..............................193.5 (S)
North Shore HS (North Shore)............................................ 192.6 (N)
George W. Hewlett (Hewlett-Woodmere)..............................191.7 (N)
Babylon Senior High School (Babylon)...................................190.0 (S)
Massapequa High School (Massapequa)................................186.8 (N)
Elwood/John Glenn HS (Elwood).......................................... .186.4 (S)
Lynbrook Senior HS (Lynbrook)........................................ ....186.3 (N)
New Hyde Park Memorial (NHP)............................................1 86.0 (N)
Bayport-Blue Point HS (Bayport-Blue Point)............................185.8 (S)
Oyster Bay HS (Oyster Bay-East Norwich).............................183.4 (N)
Mattituck SHS (Mattituck-Cutchogue)..................................178.9 (S)
Hicksville High School (Hicksville)...................................... ...178.1 (N)
Northport SHS (Northport-East Northport).............................177.5 (S)
Westhampton Beach SHS (Westhampton Beach).....................177.3 (S)
South Side High School (Rockville Centre).............................175.4 (N)
Smithtown HS West (Smithtown)....................................... ..173.3 (S)
Walt Whitman HS (South Huntington)...................................171. 6 (S)
Floral Park Memorial (Floral Park)..........................................170 .8 (N)
Islip High School (Islip)........................................... ............169.8 (S)
Lindenhurst High School (Lindenhurst)..................................168 .8 (S)
Mepham (Bellmore-Merrick).......................................... .......168.6 (N)
West Islip Senior High School (West Islip)..............................167.9 (S)
Sayville High School (Sayville)........................................ .....166.6 (S)
Bethpage Senior High School (Bethpage)...............................165.7 (N)
Connetquot High School (Connetquot)...................................164 .3 (S)
Valley Stream North (VS North)............................................ 163.9 (N)
Island Trees HS (Island Trees)............................................ .162.6 (N)
Bridgehampton School (Bridgehampton).................................16 2.1 (S)
Valley Stream South HS (VS South)......................................161.3 (N)
Kings Park High School (Kings Park)......................................159.3 (S)
Commack High School (Commack)........................................1 59.0 (S)
Eastport-South Manor (Eastport-South Manor).......................158.6 (S)
Southold High School (Southold)........................................ ..157.9 (S)
Pierson (Sag Harbor)........................................... ..............157.2 (S)
Mineola High School (Mineola)......................................... ....157.1 (N)
East Islip High School (East Islip).........................................157 .0 (S)
Oceanside Senior High School............................................ .156.7 (N)
Division Avenue HS (Levittown)....................................... ....151.5 (N)
Glen Cove HS (Glen Cove)............................................. .....151.4 (N)
Baldwin SHS (Baldwin)......................................... ..............150.1 (N)
Miller Place High School (Miller Place)...................................149.9 (S)
Valley Stream Central (VS Central)......................................149. 2 (N)
Seaford High School (Seaford)......................................... ...147.7 (N)
Plainedge Senior High School (Plainedge)..............................145.0 (N)
H. Frank Carey HS (Sewanhaka)....................................... ..141.7 (N)
Elmont Memorial (Elmont).......................................... ........141.1 (N)
W. Tresper Clarke High School (East Meadow).......................138.3 (N)
Shoreham-Wading River (Shoreham-Wading River)..................137.8 (S)
Long Beach High School (Long Beach)..................................136.7 (N)
Sewanhaka HS (Sewanhaka)....................................... .......136.3 (N)
Newfield High School (Middle Country)..................................135.7 (S)
Huntington High School (Huntington)....................................13 4.7 (S)
Village School (Great Neck)............................................. ...132.6 (N)
Sachem High School West (Sachem)....................................131.5 (S)
Shelter Island HS (Shelter Island)........................................131 .2 (S)
Malverne High School (Malverne)........................................ .130.1 (N)
Sachem High School East (Sachem).....................................129.3 (S)
West Hempstead HS (West Hempstead)...............................129.2 (N)
Patchogue-Medford HS (Patchogue-Medford)........................127.9 (S)
Farmingdale High School (Farmingdale).................................127. 7 (N)
East Hampton High School (East Hampton)...........................125.7 (S)
West Babylon SHS (West Babylon)......................................125. 5 (S)
Lawrence High School (Lawrence).......................................1 24.8 (N)
Rocky Point High School (Rocky Point).................................123.2 (S)
Comsewogue (Brookhaven-Comsewogue).............................120.7 (S)
Southampton High School (Southampton)............................120.4 (S)
Longwood High School (Longwood).....................................115 .7 (S)
Center Moriches High School (Center Moriches).....................115.0 (S)
East Meadow High School (East Meadow).............................114.0 (N)
Bay Shore SHS (Bay Shore)............................................ ...111.9 (S)
East Rockaway SHS (East Rockaway)..................................111.8 (N)
Hampton Bays Secondary (Hampton Bays)............................111.6 (S)
North Babylon HS (North Babylon).......................................111 .4 (S)
William Floyd High School (William Floyd)...............................104.8 (S)
Riverhead High School (Riverhead)....................................... .99.6 (S)
Centereach High School (Middle Country)...............................99.3 (S)
Deer Park High School (Deer Park).........................................95.8 (S)
Bellport High School (South Country).....................................90.6 (S)
Walter G. O'Connell (Copiague)........................................ .....90.3 (S)
Brentwood High School (Brentwood)......................................8 4.8 (S)
Amityville Memorial (Amityville)...................................... .......78.0 (S)
Central Islip HS (Central Islip)............................................ ..57.2 (S)
Freeport High School (Freeport)........................................ ...53.3 (N)
Hempstead High School (Hempstead)....................................37. 9 (N)
Roosevelt (Roosevelt)....................................... .................34.1 (N)
Westbury High School (Westbury)........................................ 32.9 (N)
Wyandanch Memorial (Wyandanch)....................................... 13.8 (S)

[lilibrarian]

I can't even imagine what Wyandanch is like, for the score be almost a third of Roosevelt's. Sigh.

Just looking for opinions, what would ya'll chalk the overall disparity between Nassau and Suffolk schools? It just seems like no matter what I look at, the Nassau schools for the most part have better scores than many Suffolk districts. It makes me a bit anxious when looking at houses.

[Jrprofess]

Originally Posted by lilibrarian

Thanks for posting the info. I can't say much about the Suffolk, but the Nassau rankings are pretty on the mark, IMO. Hey look JRProfess, MacArthur scored very well!! Levittown is not "eh".

Just my opinion. I am sure plenty will trash the ones I said were good. Division Ave is "eh" in my opinion, MacArthur looks solid based on test scores. If you like them test scores....

As for the Regents thing, (side topic) having gotten my diploma outside of New York, and subsequently spending part of my prior career in college recruiting the Regents thing was always annoying to me. It convoluted the assessment process. Why our schools can not simply provide a clear academic curriculum with varied academic challenges (remedial, AP) and then award a diploma is a mystery to me. Most other states seem to have no problem with this, and you avoid teaching toward ANOTHER test. How does a Regents compare to a diploma in Maryland, or Texas, or Nevada? Hard to say. But that is for another thread.

[Jrprofess]

Originally Posted by lilibrarian

I can't even imagine what Wyandanch is like, for the score be almost a third of Roosevelt's. Sigh.

Just looking for opinions, what would ya'll chalk the overall disparity between Nassau and Suffolk schools? It just seems like no matter what I look at, the Nassau schools for the most part have better scores than many Suffolk districts. It makes me a bit anxious when looking at houses.

Not sure what makes up the final tally of Regents scores but unfortunately it bolsters the Nassau misconception that those county schools are inherently stronger. The list is also strange in that districts like Seaford (Nassau) are as low as they are. So it seems off within the counties as well. I would put Commack and Sayville into the top twenty districts on the island if we were having a general discussion seperate from this Regents list. Kings Park is awfully low. Also, seeing South Huntington near the top of the Suffolk members of the list is a bit mind boggling. I would have a tough time sending my kids there. Anybody have a breakdown of how these scores are compiled and applied? Goes to show you need to go the PTA meetings and meet with parents in the district to ever really know.

[sean sean sean sean]

Originally Posted by Jrprofess

Not sure what makes up the final tally of Regents scores but unfortunately it bolsters the Nassau misconception that those county schools are inherently stronger. The list is also strange in that districts like Seaford (Nassau) are as low as they are. So it seems off within the counties as well. I would put Commack and Sayville into the top twenty districts on the island if we were having a general discussion seperate from this Regents list. Kings Park is awfully low. Also, seeing South Huntington near the top of the Suffolk members of the list is a bit mind boggling. I would have a tough time sending my kids there. Anybody have a breakdown of how these scores are compiled and applied? Goes to show you need to go the PTA meetings and meet with parents in the district to ever really know.

New York Public School Rankings
Same site as the data clam posted, just for the year 2006 instead of 2001.

The list is definitely accurate, but only in what it's criteria is based on, which is the following:

Regents English Adv: Percentage of Test Takers at Advanced Level (85-100) on the Regents English Test
Regents USHG Adv: Percentage of Test Takers at Advanced Level (85-100) on the Regents U.S. History and Government Test
Regents GLHIST Adv: Percentage of Test Takers at Advanced Level (85-100) on the Regents Global History and Geography Test
Standard Ranking: Regents English Adv + Regents USHG Adv + Regents GLHIST Adv

I'm certainly not saying that makes any one school better than any other, but it could mean there's smarter kids in some places! I'm gonna assume the Math regents is left off this either due to laziness or because NYS completely changed it's Math regents in the last few years and from what I hear really messed things up, I think some districts have kids taking that test at different ages and everything....or maybe the people who came up with it just thought math was stupid. I certainly say math is stupid!