Help with parts of Seaford (levittown schools)

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by skycop72

We live in Seaford and send our kids to Levittown schools.

skycop72, as I posted to househunter_help above, Seaford is one of those villages and hamlets on Long Island where the majority of the places with the community name as part of their mailing address (3,942 acres) are not in the hamlet (1,758 acres).

< > No part of the Hamlet of Seaford is in the Levittown Union Free School District.

< > There are areas in the Hamlet of North Wantagh and the Hamlet of Levittown that have a "Seaford, NY 11783" mailing address that are in the Levittown Union Free School District.

You can find out in which community (city, village or CDP) your house is actually located, which is oftentimes different from the community named in a house's mailing address, by using the Census Bureau's online address search function. (CDP or Census Designated Place is the Census Bureau equivalent for a hamlet in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.)

And, very importantly, among other things, the Census Bureau's online address search function also indicates in which school district an address is located.

[sean sean sean sean]

Originally Posted by Jdawg8181

test scores don't mean anything- they are not an accurate measure of what the children are learning...but merely how good they are at test-taking. I got a 98 average in HS but bombed every standardized test I took. I don't think you can sit here and say I'm not smart or that I didn't learn anything.

IMO, "not being a good test taker" is just a PC term for not being that smart. Too much BS is weighted into your cumulitive average in high school, and teachers are only human. I'm not saying you're dumb, but we all know that all it takes to do well in HS is any combination of hard work, sucking up or eliciting sympathy. When it comes to standardized testing, there is no way to "cheat the system" other than simply being well informed and applying that knowledge.

I certainly don't think that test scores are the be-all-end-all representation of the quality of education provided at any given school, however I do believe that GOOD teachers have no problem preparing their students for standardized tests, presenting the material in an interesting and memorable fashion and enhancing their students' natural ability to approach and solve problems through critical thinking. In the real world, people get paid good money for getting results no matter the situation...not for extra credit assignments and class participation (unless your "extra credit" is giving the boss a BJ under his desk). Kids in HS right now will start learning this as soon as their 104 weighted GPA and four years of Key Club won't get them anything except a pile of "We regret to inform you" letters and a seat at Nassau Community College come fall.

[Jdawg8181]

Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean

IMO, "not being a good test taker" is just a PC term for not being that smart. Too much BS is weighted into your cumulitive average in high school, and teachers are only human. I'm not saying you're dumb, but we all know that all it takes to do well in HS is any combination of hard work, sucking up or eliciting sympathy. When it comes to standardized testing, there is no way to "cheat the system" other than simply being well informed and applying that knowledge.

I certainly don't think that test scores are the be-all-end-all representation of the quality of education provided at any given school, however I do believe that GOOD teachers have no problem preparing their students for standardized tests, presenting the material in an interesting and memorable fashion and enhancing their students' natural ability to approach and solve problems through critical thinking. In the real world, people get paid good money for getting results no matter the situation...not for extra credit assignments and class participation (unless your "extra credit" is giving the boss a BJ under his desk). Kids in HS right now will start learning this as soon as their 104 weighted GPA and four years of Key Club won't get them anything except a pile of "We regret to inform you" letters and a seat at Nassau Community College come fall.

so are you saying I hooked up with my teachers and that is how I got a 98?

[WJFM]

Seaford and Levittown (McArthur) have similar SAT scores. SAT Scores

[sean sean sean sean]

Originally Posted by Jdawg8181

so are you saying I hooked up with my teachers and that is how I got a 98?

Not at all....I don't know how you could have possibly gotten that from my post either. I have no idea (or opinion on) how you managed to get a 98 average in high school, but I'm sure it wasn't on account of your uncanny reading comprehension ability.

WJFM - Thanks for the link, I've never seen that site/data before. More proof that the vast majority of high schools on Long Island are nearly on par with the hot shot big name schools that get all the press.

[Smash255]

Originally Posted by househunter_help

The taxes in this section I am talking about in Seaford with Levittown schools are much higher than in Seaford with Seaford schools.

Maybe that could be the reason?

I have an offer in on a house accepted and I just want to make sure I am doing the right thing before I get it inspected and sign away.....Just want to make sure it is a safe area and there is nothing go on there I should know about.

The Levittown schools are pretty much on par with Seaford. Seaford might be slightly better, but the differences are minimal.

As far as the taxes, for a middle class home, you generally will have two things which could help reduce the taxes. One is a concentration of commercial or retail establishments to help alleviate the taxes, the other is having at least a semblance of an upper middle class/ or some higher end homes to help alleviate the taxes as well.

Levittown really doesn't have much of a commercial or retail establishment (and some of what does exist is in the Island Trees school district). Granted Seaford doesn't have much of the retail or commercial base either, but Levittown's lack of it really hurts since the district is pretty large.

The higher end homes really do not exist in the Levittown school district. It is primarily a working to middle class community, and simply does not have an upper middle class community or section in order to eat up some of the taxes. Seaford on the other hand while it is a primarily middle class community and district, does have a little bit of an upper middle class element down near the water (though perhaps not as much as some other communtiies on the south shore).

For example out of 191 homes for sale listed on MLSLI in the Levittown district, only 11 are listed at over $500,000, only 2 at over $600,000 with the highest at $699,000. Meanwhile in Seaford which is a smaller district almost 1./2 (37 out of 75) are listed at $500,000 or more (though the median price is a bit under $500,000) including 3 at over $1 million with the highest at $1.95 million. Also despite being a smaller district 23 homes in the Seaford district are listed at a higher price than all but 2 homes in the Levitown district and 14 of them more expensive than anything liste in the Levittown district.

[llama8]

Originally Posted by Smash255

The Levittown schools are pretty much on par with Seaford. Seaford might be slightly better, but the differences are minimal.

As far as the taxes, for a middle class home, you generally will have two things which could help reduce the taxes. One is a concentration of commercial or retail establishments to help alleviate the taxes, the other is having at least a semblance of an upper middle class/ or some higher end homes to help alleviate the taxes as well.

Levittown really doesn't have much of a commercial or retail establishment (and some of what does exist is in the Island Trees school district). Granted Seaford doesn't have much of the retail or commercial base either, but Levittown's lack of it really hurts since the district is pretty large.

The higher end homes really do not exist in the Levittown school district. It is primarily a working to middle class community, and simply does not have an upper middle class community or section in order to eat up some of the taxes. Seaford on the other hand while it is a primarily middle class community and district, does have a little bit of an upper middle class element down near the water (though perhaps not as much as some other communtiies on the south shore).

For example out of 191 homes for sale listed on MLSLI in the Levittown district, only 11 are listed at over $500,000, only 2 at over $600,000 with the highest at $699,000. Meanwhile in Seaford which is a smaller district almost 1./2 (37 out of 75) are listed at $500,000 or more (though the median price is a bit under $500,000) including 3 at over $1 million with the highest at $1.95 million. Also despite being a smaller district 23 homes in the Seaford district are listed at a higher price than all but 2 homes in the Levitown district and 14 of them more expensive than anything liste in the Levittown district.

One must take into account the style of home and not necessarily the area. Levittown is mostly made up of Levitt style home which have no basements and are made cheaper than many homes on LI. (I live in Levittown and love my Levitt home...but compared to a brick home in some Seaford areas, you are paying for a more solid construction in Seaford).

The prices in Levittown can never be as high as other areas because there is only so much someone is willing to pay for a Levitt style home...especially the tiny unexpanded shoe-box capes in some of the older areas. It's not necessarily a reflection of the area as the town is family-friendly, safe and the school district is great.

You are correct about the retail establishments and Levittown is lacking a higher middle-class area on the water like Seaford.

[WJFM]

Quite to the contrary. There is a difference of over 250 points when comparing a top district (total scores above 1750) to an avg district (total scores near 1500).

This is the difference between going to the top college of your choice ( colleges rated top 10 in that specialty) in the top district to what is considered a safe college for the top district students in the avg district (colleges not rated in top 20 for their specialty).

Originally Posted by sean sean sean sean

Not at all....I don't know how you could have possibly gotten that from my post either. I have no idea (or opinion on) how you managed to get a 98 average in high school, but I'm sure it wasn't on account of your uncanny reading comprehension ability.

WJFM - Thanks for the link, I've never seen that site/data before. More proof that the vast majority of high schools on Long Island are nearly on par with the hot shot big name schools that get all the press.

[lilibrarian]

I live in Levittown, and my son attends East Broadway school, which is the school your children will attend if you buy in Seaford in the Levittown School District. I know lots o'people in that area. Lots of young families and they seem to be very neighborly. They have fun there.

Don't fall victim to the Levittown schools myth. There is a pervading perception that somehow Levittown schools are bad. The Wantagh and Seaford folks like to emphasize that they don't live in Levittown. But compare the scores for yourself. I would not say Seaford is better (though a good district), but that perception remains.

Everybody was down on Levittown schools when we moved but I'm happy. Great, diligent teachers, and an active PTA (which means lots of special programs, events and extras for the kids). Good kids with hardworking parents--cops, fireman, union construction, teachers. Upper levels have a ton of offerings program and club wise. We've had our Westinghouse/Intel semifinalists. We also have excellent Special Ed. services should the need arise.

Really you could do a lot worse. There is a lot to offer in this community, if you take advantage of it. That area is also super convenient, commute wise.

As for the homes on the market, I hate to say it, but there's lot of people getting old round here. Some are fixer uppers though. Others may being moving "up", further south into Seaford. As someone pointed out, this neighborhood is strictly middle class. Nothing to be nervous about though.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by lilibrarian

I live in Levittown, and my son attends East Broadway school, which is the school your children will attend if you buy in Seaford in the Levittown School District.

Except that no part of the Hamlet of Seaford (nor the Hamlet of Wantagh) is in the Levittown Union Free School District.

Originally Posted by lilibrarian

The Wantagh and Seaford folks like to emphasize that they don't live in Levittown.

There are parts of the Hamlet of Levittown that have a "Seaford, NY 11783", as well as a "Wantagh, NY 11793", mailing address (and, there are parts of the Hamlet of North Wantagh that have a "Seaford, NY 11783", as well as a "Wantagh, NY 11793", mailing address).