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Sounds great coming from you, Five Towns! Thank you for your perspective. I am enamored by Huntington so you're just fueling the fire. Now to take on my husband.
If you like Huntington, but hubby doesn't like it, try Elwood SD, Harborfields SD, Northport/East Northport SD. They're all in the same area, so you still get to enjoy Huntington and Northport Villages. There's also an awesome rowing team for the kids that runs all four seasons. The YMCA is beautiful and convenient. Elwood and Harborfields are very small districts, and diverse enough. Commack and Northport are much larger, and there's diversity in there. I used to teach in Huntington schools and quit. There were so many ESL children in the district, and the district didn't know how to help these poor kids. They were sitting there, only able to speak Spanish, and they'd have a push in SpEd teacher daily for one hr. We kept asking for the children to be taught by a Spanish speaking teacher until they could better understand English, but we were told no. I'm all for immersion, don't misunderstand me. But when they don't read or write English, yet were expected to sit for Core exams...it was a mess. And I had no power to help those kids.
I am tired of hearing "If a kid wants to study, he will study anywhere", from my experience, people are divided into two categories (I mean, normal people)-those who are driven by external factor such as parents pushing them, strong school district, good friends, need to be perceived in a certain way, these people are in the majority, myself included, and then there is a very small % of people who have what I call "core"-these people don't do things because someone told them to, they just are being accountable to themselves, they do things because things need to be done, and done well, now kids like these, will succeed anywhere, they will rise above in unfavorable conditions and they will truly blossom in favorable conditions. For the rest of us, it is crucial to be in an environment that pushes us to do our best.
If you like Huntington, but hubby doesn't like it, try Elwood SD, Harborfields SD, Northport/East Northport SD. They're all in the same area, so you still get to enjoy Huntington and Northport Villages. There's also an awesome rowing team for the kids that runs all four seasons. The YMCA is beautiful and convenient. Elwood and Harborfields are very small districts, and diverse enough. Commack and Northport are much larger, and there's diversity in there. I used to teach in Huntington schools and quit. There were so many ESL children in the district, and the district didn't know how to help these poor kids. They were sitting there, only able to speak Spanish, and they'd have a push in SpEd teacher daily for one hr. We kept asking for the children to be taught by a Spanish speaking teacher until they could better understand English, but we were told no. I'm all for immersion, don't misunderstand me. But when they don't read or write English, yet were expected to sit for Core exams...it was a mess. And I had no power to help those kids.
All are great districts. Commack and Elwood don't have the charm that she probably likes about Huntington. I like the location of Elwood though, because it is still really convenient to Northport and Huntington but also the Northern State Parkway. Also remember to look in Greenlawn which I think is zoned almost entirely for Harbrorfields. Maybe some of it is Elwood, but I am really not sure. You can find something nice in East Northport or Greenlawn for 400k; diverse housing stock; there's really something for everyone. The Elwood school district is almost entirely located within East Northport, 11731 and it's a pretty uniform area of larger post-war colonials and taxes will likely be higher than Northport-East Northport (which has fairly low taxes). It's not super-wealthy or anything, but just due to home sizes, I'd be surprised if you could find something nice for 400k.
Yes, I think we feel it's too iffy. School district not good enough from what I understand.
I actually went there and graduated in 2013, the school district is just fine. There are many kids in AP classes. Like other posters said, don't go by those school ratings alone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by babysladkaya
I am tired of hearing "If a kid wants to study, he will study anywhere", from my experience, people are divided into two categories (I mean, normal people)-those who are driven by external factor such as parents pushing them, strong school district, good friends, need to be perceived in a certain way, these people are in the majority, myself included, and then there is a very small % of people who have what I call "core"-these people don't do things because someone told them to, they just are being accountable to themselves, they do things because things need to be done, and done well, now kids like these, will succeed anywhere, they will rise above in unfavorable conditions and they will truly blossom in favorable conditions. For the rest of us, it is crucial to be in an environment that pushes us to do our best.
Maybe not literally anywhere, but any school district that's at least average should be good enough.
I actually went there and graduated in 2013, the school district is just fine. There are many kids in AP classes. Like other posters said, don't go by those school ratings alone.
Maybe not literally anywhere, but any school district that's at least average should be good enough.
Even when you look at information, it still comes out to be a solid school district overall.
All are great districts. Commack and Elwood don't have the charm that she probably likes about Huntington. I like the location of Elwood though, because it is still really convenient to Northport and Huntington but also the Northern State Parkway. Also remember to look in Greenlawn which I think is zoned almost entirely for Harbrorfields. Maybe some of it is Elwood, but I am really not sure. You can find something nice in East Northport or Greenlawn for 400k; diverse housing stock; there's really something for everyone. The Elwood school district is almost entirely located within East Northport, 11731 and it's a pretty uniform area of larger post-war colonials and taxes will likely be higher than Northport-East Northport (which has fairly low taxes). It's not super-wealthy or anything, but just due to home sizes, I'd be surprised if you could find something nice for 400k.
Elwood is a great, tiny district. Parts of Greenlawn go there, while the rest to to Garborfields. There's been talk that Elwood may be absorbed by Commack at some point, but I don't think that's happening anytime soon, if at all. 400 may be their cap, but there are plenty of homes that have been sitting, overpriced, since spring. So reality is about to set in for sellers and right about now is when they tend to jump on any decent offer if the buyer has an excellent prequalification. If I were them , I'd lowball every decent house they like.
To be fair to real estate agents, a lot of the times the price is set by the owner because the owner insists that their home is made of gold. What ends up happening is the owner will either blame the agent for not doing their job (which is hard to do when the seller is an ass and asking a mint), or the owner needs to get the house sold yesterday. I'd look at homes priced up to 450-475. It's entirely possible to end up purchasing for 400-425.
Elwood is a great, tiny district. Parts of Greenlawn go there, while the rest to to Garborfields. There's been talk that Elwood may be absorbed by Commack at some point, but I don't think that's happening anytime soon, if at all. 400 may be their cap, but there are plenty of homes that have been sitting, overpriced, since spring. So reality is about to set in for sellers and right about now is when they tend to jump on any decent offer if the buyer has an excellent prequalification. If I were them , I'd lowball every decent house they like.
To be fair to real estate agents, a lot of the times the price is set by the owner because the owner insists that their home is made of gold. What ends up happening is the owner will either blame the agent for not doing their job (which is hard to do when the seller is an ass and asking a mint), or the owner needs to get the house sold yesterday. I'd look at homes priced up to 450-475. It's entirely possible to end up purchasing for 400-425.
True. My offer on my current house was accepted around this time last year. It had sat on the market for months and was originally priced at $439 and we ended up paying about $390. It's tougher to do this in the 5 boroughs or "name brand" Nassau towns along the Port Washington line or in RVC. Not sure about the Huntington area these days.
I am tired of hearing "If a kid wants to study, he will study anywhere", from my experience, people are divided into two categories (I mean, normal people)-those who are driven by external factor such as parents pushing them, strong school district, good friends, need to be perceived in a certain way, these people are in the majority, myself included, and then there is a very small % of people who have what I call "core"-these people don't do things because someone told them to, they just are being accountable to themselves, they do things because things need to be done, and done well, now kids like these, will succeed anywhere, they will rise above in unfavorable conditions and they will truly blossom in favorable conditions. For the rest of us, it is crucial to be in an environment that pushes us to do our best.
Get over it. Tons and Tons of folks I meet at C-Level or Partners in Law firms or Big 4 firms went to public schools in NYC or blue collar towns in NJ or LI.
If you like Huntington, but hubby doesn't like it, try Elwood SD, Harborfields SD, Northport/East Northport SD. They're all in the same area, so you still get to enjoy Huntington and Northport Villages. There's also an awesome rowing team for the kids that runs all four seasons. The YMCA is beautiful and convenient. Elwood and Harborfields are very small districts, and diverse enough. Commack and Northport are much larger, and there's diversity in there. I used to teach in Huntington schools and quit. There were so many ESL children in the district, and the district didn't know how to help these poor kids. They were sitting there, only able to speak Spanish, and they'd have a push in SpEd teacher daily for one hr. We kept asking for the children to be taught by a Spanish speaking teacher until they could better understand English, but we were told no. I'm all for immersion, don't misunderstand me. But when they don't read or write English, yet were expected to sit for Core exams...it was a mess. And I had no power to help those kids.
Thanks for this history! wow, I'm very Americanized 2nd generation Cuban (from Miami), so I never went to school with tons of ESOL kids weirdly enough. Actually, I think they had separate classrooms so they can learn at their pace, so maybe we did have those kinds of programs. My mother was born and raised in Florida in the 60's when there were no hispanics in Miami. My Grandfather and grandmother were doctor/nurse and had money. They had nannies and chefs, my Mom did cheerleading among the blondes. I grew up with more diversity in the 80's.
H wasn't able to really see the locations of the schools to the homes when we drove through Huntington (big town). He grew up in a semi-cookie cutter NJ town. He imagines we walk our daughter to school if we wanted to on a nice day and that if anything happens, the school is a couple of blocks away rather than a 10 min drive ? We need to explore Huntington a bit more so that I can show him his checklist might be possible.
Hmm, right, so I work among Great Neck and Manhasset peers and see what the pressure can be like. I didn’t want the super ivy league stressful competition for my daughter. I do want to set her up to excel (I’ll try not to be a helicopter parent LOL) but I want to be relaxed/in the middle. I am big on sports and activities. I did them and want her to as well (more space in Florida like there is Nassau/Suffolk). I am a huge advocate that sports and activities encourage great self-esteem and discipline to an extent.
Thanks for this history! wow, I'm very Americanized 2nd generation Cuban (from Miami), so I never went to school with tons of ESOL kids weirdly enough. Actually, I think they had separate classrooms so they can learn at their pace, so maybe we did have those kinds of programs. My mother was born and raised in Florida in the 60's when there were no hispanics in Miami. My Grandfather and grandmother were doctor/nurse and had money. They had nannies and chefs, my Mom did cheerleading among the blondes. I grew up with more diversity in the 80's.
H wasn't able to really see the locations of the schools to the homes when we drove through Huntington (big town). He grew up in a semi-cookie cutter NJ town. He imagines we walk our daughter to school if we wanted to on a nice day and that if anything happens, the school is a couple of blocks away rather than a 10 min drive ? We need to explore Huntington a bit more so that I can show him his checklist might be possible.
Hmm, right, so I work among Great Neck and Manhasset peers and see what the pressure can be like. I didn’t want the super ivy league stressful competition for my daughter. I do want to set her up to excel (I’ll try not to be a helicopter parent LOL) but I want to be relaxed/in the middle. I am big on sports and activities. I did them and want her to as well (more space in Florida like there is Nassau/Suffolk). I am a huge advocate that sports and activities encourage great self-esteem and discipline to an extent.
I'll take any nice town with excellent schools.
I think you'd like Harborfields. Parts of Greenlawn, all of Centerport, and small parts of Huntington go to that district, and there is a small mix of biracial/black/Hispanic students (who are ALL accepted). The moms get to know each other through the kids, and that takes about a month due to the small size of the district. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are active, the Moose Lodge (or Elks??) on Pulaski has some cool social events for parents to get to know each other, too. Once the kids get older, they walk around the small town on Broadway, getting pizza, hitting the library, or playing video games. It's very old town, USA. The district is always top ten. Academics are fantastic, but you're not going to get the Ivy pressure you get from Syosset, Manhasset, and the like.
If haven't already done so, I urge you to go to Harborfields public library. It is one of the nicest libraries on the island, hands down.
If you're looking for sports,what's great about Harborfields is that because it's so small, a lot of the time the kids just get to sign up for the teams and not have to try out. I happen to love that. Again, the rowing team is also pretty darn cool (although that's separate from the district).
The YMCA is fantastic. They have teen night, and plenty of other social events/clubs/sports for the kiddies and the parents. No need for a pool if you get a membership there. It's super clean, and the staff rocks.
If you go on mlsli.com, you can do a home search by school district rather that town. That may help you whittle down your search.
Good luck to you with wherever you go!
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