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You might find an easier time transferring to NHP High School for a specialized program because you are within the Sewanaka (spelling?) Central High School District. Stewart Ave school isn't too bad though. Sure beats Gotham Ave school!
Thanks for the tip! My son is only 2 1/2 so hopefully by the time he's ready for HS, I'll be rich enough to move to Garden City!
That's for sure.... I've seen ads by RE Agents who will say a house is in "North Babylon" or "West Babylon" when the house is actually located in Wyandanch. I've also seen ads where houses are clearly in Wyandanch and the RE Agent will say "West Babylon SD" or "North Babylon SD" when these houses are in the Wyandanch district.
I guess the RE Agents are counting on the potential buyers not being familiar with the area or not being familiar with how LI school districts work.
West and North Babylon both extend to the northern side of the Southern State. The areas may be predominately black but they are not Wyandanch. Kids from my neighborhood used to go to Belmont Lake JHS before Moses was built, and many of my friends that I went to school with came from the areas close to the Corners.
Don't know if this is 100% true. In NYC, it's all on district, but where you live determines which school you go to. As a result, there are many schools that are much better than other schools. Basically the same thing.
Well said.
For anyone familiar with the school system in the city, take Queens for example, teachers fight to get into District 26 versus 27 because 26 includes Howard Beach, Bellerose, New Hyde Park, etc...I believe. Versus 27 which includes Jamaica , South Ozone Park, etc. Guess which area has higher property values?
As for testing into certain top high schools which any city student can do (Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, etc) obviously it just so happens that children from more affluent families represent a stronger proportion of those gaining entrance due to tutors, "test coaching" and participating in improved program offerings in Districts like....26.
The issue with Long Island costs are related to not consolidating CENTRAL administration for things like procurement, contracts and sharing services, plus ridiculous cost overloads from retiree health benefits (Not to mention a gaping hole in audit and oversight). Benefits needs to be looked (contributed more directly from the retirees) at closely and again aggregated. I do not support taking away local control of the board and teachers though. I did not love the district I was initially in and moved. For that next move I dug right into the scores, facilities and parent feedback of the elementary schools and above. As for the OP's issue, unless you are zoned for the district I am afraid you are out of luck. For what it's worth, Hicksville is not a horrible district. It appears to be solid.
You might find an easier time transferring to NHP High School for a specialized program because you are within the Sewanaka (spelling?) Central High School District. Stewart Ave school isn't too bad though. Sure beats Gotham Ave school!
Just wanted to second this. Elementary you should be ok. I'm not a fan of Sewanhaka. When I worked in Elmont (circa 2000), it seemed like a lot of rough incidents were happening. It's a shame because some lovely areas feed into it.
To the OP, just today someone was regaling me with stories of how my local high school is going downhill. It stunk b/c I was pretty excited after my son's Kindergarten orientation yesterday. I'd come around to the SD, despite initial misgivings. We've been on the fence about staying or going. But I realized that I have to do a lot more research. I would say try to talk to anyone you know who might have a connection to the HS. Get as many different views as you can, b/c one person's view may be highly colored by a personal experience that may not paint the full picture. And I agree with KellyFG and others that getting involved can make a big difference. I cetainly plan to for as long as we stay.
Thank you to all for your advice. My friend requested to move her children to Hauppauge over Smithtown schools and was told it would be a $500 monthly fee. I am willing to pay the extra money (within reason) and I'm not trying to get off free without paying higher taxes.
West and North Babylon both extend to the northern side of the Southern State. The areas may be predominately black but they are not Wyandanch. Kids from my neighborhood used to go to Belmont Lake JHS before Moses was built, and many of my friends that I went to school with came from the areas close to the Corners.
I'm not talking about the homes off Little East Neck and the areas there that are actually West Babylon... I'm talking about homes that are close to West Babylon, but are Wyandanch and have the "11798" zip code. Same for homes that are in Wyandanch, but kind of close to North Babylon or even Deer Park. The realtors are counting on people not knowing any better and tell them that the homes are in the NB or WB or even DP school district when they're not.
Thank you to all for your advice. My friend requested to move her children to Hauppauge over Smithtown schools and was told it would be a $500 monthly fee. I am willing to pay the extra money (within reason) and I'm not trying to get off free without paying higher taxes.
I will do some questioning with the town.
If you're willing to pay $500/mo, then why not just send your child to a parochial school? You would actually save money in the long run and your child would, more than likely, be in a better atmosphere.
If you're willing to pay $500/mo, then why not just send your child to a parochial school?
mykiddies might not be Catholic....
Not everyone who goes to Catholic school is Catholic. Some people just send their kids to Catholic school because they don't like the district they're in and want their children in a better environment. (and Catholic school is a lot less expensive than a true private school!)
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Agreed
