FACTS About Riverhead SD? (Levittown, Deer Park: fit in, 2011, sex offenders)

[LocalX]

I know plenty of people then went to Riverhead and they turned out fine. There are good teachers there and most of what brings success in school is plain old good parenting. In a nutshell most parents use school as a babysitting service which it is not. Being involved in the school through PTA, school events, communtiy programs and staying up your kids you know what everyday breads succsess. Stay involved in their everday lives constantly.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by ambralita

Wow, that is telling. That is really depressing, actually. What is a family to do? I suppose could look into Catholic or charter...?

Are you Catholic? If not, I think it would not be the best thing for your child to have to go to a school based on a religion they are not a part of.

What do you mean by "charter?" Are there charter schools on LI, particularly in Riverhead? Any talk I hear of "charter schools" has to do with NYC.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by dman72

It isn't the end all and be all, but it gives you a pretty good indication of what the students in the schools are achieving.

I for a fact know that there are some very solid teachers in a school district like Brentwood..I know a handful through my wife and her co-workers spouses and such... and if your kids go there and managed to not get beat up every day or avoided playing down to their peers, they can still get a good education.

She didn't mention being interested in Brentwood, so I am wondering why you brought it up as if it were an option (or was that for general knowledge purposes). Regardless, can a parent dictate to the school whose class they want their kids to be in? If not, then it is just another hit-or-miss experience ...

[Transpl]

Originally Posted by dman72

It's a compilation from the lovely forumite Sean Sean Sean that uses the regents scores in Math, English, and History, which is the same methodology used by a web site that makes you pay to see the recent data.

New York Public School Rankings

I cringe at this methodology. It puts districts with a percentage of poorer kids at a huge disadvantage. For example:

School 1:

Students A B and C are in a wealthy district, next to no poverty, sons and daughters of doctors, lawyers and architects. All are taught well enough. Everyone scores well on the testing, nothing spectacular but even the avarage students don't tank the exams.

School 2:

Students D E and F are in a blue collar district, some haves and have nots. D and E are in AP classes, have great teachers and are crushing the exams, as good or better than A B and C. Poor student F however has problems at home and just isn't too bright. He tanks the tests.

Ranking using an average of students that excel, School 1 is at 100%, one of the top schools on the Island if not in the country.

School 2 however only has 66.6% of its students excelling. It is ranked toward the bottom on the Island, to be avoided at all costs.

See what I'm getting at? If you have a solid structure at home, your kids will get a good education. Hopefully they will make the right choices and befriend students D and E and learn how to relate to F, but not emulate him. Some would argue that student F is a distraction and takes way from the quality of education at the school, I agree with that. But kids getting sucked in with the druggie crowd is a much scarier proposition, and is a universal problem regardless of district ranking.

[dman72]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

She didn't mention being interested in Brentwood, so I am wondering why you brought it up as if it were an option (or was that for general knowledge purposes). Regardless, can a parent dictate to the school whose class they want their kids to be in? If not, then it is just another hit-or-miss experience ...

It is one lower ranked school that I know from knowing a few teachers that a good education can be had..they are not any less on the ball or concerned than teachers in my wifes school, which is not in the lower echelons.

I've heard similar things about some teachers in districts like Central Islip, I'm sure the same can be said of Riverhead. A student that does the right thing and has the right parenting can excel in most schools on LI..maybe not Roosevelt, but most other places. Does it mean I'd think of buying a house in CI or Brentwood? Nope.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by dman72

It is one lower ranked school that I know from knowing a few teachers that a good education can be had..they are not any less on the ball or concerned than teachers in my wifes school, which is not in the lower echelons.

I've heard similar things about some teachers in districts like Central Islip, I'm sure the same can be said of Riverhead. A student that does the right thing and has the right parenting can excel in most schools on LI..maybe not Roosevelt, but most other places. Does it mean I'd think of buying a house in CI or Brentwood? Nope.

The OP mentioned something about "looking into charter schools?" Are there any on LI? Whenever I hear them mentioned around here, it is always in the context of NYC.

[Just Peachy]

I have 2 daughters ages 19 1/2 and 21 who graduated from Riverhead High School! Then I have another daughter who is in 12th grade at Raiverhead right now and another daughter in 10th grade! Is Riverhead the greatest school..no....is it bad...not really. Drugs...yes, like most schools here on the East End and most everywhere I would imagine. My girls do great in school and the older ones did great! They have well behaved and nice freinds and you get out of school what you put in. You stay out of trouble and you will be fine. My oldest is going to Suny Stony Brook for Psycology and the 19 yr old is going to Suny Farmingdale for Business. My 12th grader is planning her college choice to be a vet! My youngest daughter an interior designer maybe. The only elementary school I have not had a child in is Riley..the one your kids would go to. My 4th daughter went to Phillips Ave and Aquebogue Elementary schools. My son when to Aquebogue elementary school in kindergarten. Then we moved to NC for a year and now he is in Roanoke ave school. I had the most trouble with the kids in Aquebogue school. Nasty kids they were! Foul mouthed and mean! That was quite a few years ago when dd#4 went there! My 3rd and 4th daughters went to Pulaski street school and it was fine. We lived in Deer Park before we moved to Jamesport. If your kids are good kids they will do fine. Baiting Hollow is such a nice area. You just can't let your kids get in with a bad crowd. None of my kids do drugs or smoke and they aren't partiers. They are very well behaved, polite, high achieving kids! Any other questions or anything I can help you with, just drop me a dm!

[Just Peachy]

Riverhead does have a charter school but its for the struggling students etc. The charter school is in calverton but its not something I think people consider unless your child needs extra attention, although its not only for struggling students....its for everyone and anyone, but I don't know of anyone who just puts there child there if they area doing well in the public school.

Keep in mind though that places like NC have tons of charter schools and they are elite to the public schools with long waiting lists. Its not like that in Riverhead. Not that I know of anyway.

[LocalX]

Originally Posted by Just Peachy

I have 2 daughters ages 19 1/2 and 21 who graduated from Riverhead High School! Then I have another daughter who is in 12th grade at Raiverhead right now and another daughter in 10th grade! Is Riverhead the greatest school..no....is it bad...not really. Drugs...yes, like most schools here on the East End and most everywhere I would imagine. My girls do great in school and the older ones did great! They have well behaved and nice freinds and you get out of school what you put in. You stay out of trouble and you will be fine. My oldest is going to Suny Stony Brook for Psycology and the 19 yr old is going to Suny Farmingdale for Business. My 12th grader is planning her college choice to be a vet! My youngest daughter an interior designer maybe. The only elementary school I have not had a child in is Riley..the one your kids would go to. My 4th daughter went to Phillips Ave and Aquebogue Elementary schools. My son when to Aquebogue elementary school in kindergarten. Then we moved to NC for a year and now he is in Roanoke ave school. I had the most trouble with the kids in Aquebogue school. Nasty kids they were! Foul mouthed and mean! That was quite a few years ago when dd#4 went there! My 3rd and 4th daughters went to Pulaski street school and it was fine. We lived in Deer Park before we moved to Jamesport. If your kids are good kids they will do fine. Baiting Hollow is such a nice area. You just can't let your kids get in with a bad crowd. None of my kids do drugs or smoke and they aren't partiers. They are very well behaved, polite, high achieving kids! Any other questions or anything I can help you with, just drop me a dm!

I rest my case.
Way to go Mom.

[ambralita]

LocalIX: I agree good parenting/relationship with your kids is critical, but conversely, it can't replace good teaching/education, which kids need. Parents can't prepare their kids for college, that's the school's job. Parents can't be there at the schools making sure trouble isn't brewing. That's the school's job. Isn't it reasonable to expect that from our schools?

I_LuV_LI: Yes, I am Catholic and went to Catholic schools. I liked the positive and safe atmosphere, and the academic rigor. But... that was a long time ago, I'm sure things have changed! Kids will rebel and get into trouble no matter where they go...I'm already losing sleep!

TransPl: Excellent shrewd analysis. Thank you for pointing this out. Kids on the lower socio-economic strata are just plain not given an equal start as other kids, and thus the vicious cycle goes on. Yes, lots of them may be irresponsible. But these kinds of "rankings" can be mis-leading. I truly don't mind "diversity" I just want a school that offers a solid education with minimal serious social problems.

JustPeachy: Your kids sound like such good kids and congratulations on getting them through everything safe and sound and on their way! Yours was not exactly a positive recommendation ("...is [Riverhead] bad...not really") but at least you did not say it is an outright horrible place. Thank you for the real-world feedback!