School buses in NYC/LI (Nassau: high school, live, zoned)

[JCG23]

Are there school buses in NYC/LI for HS students? And also, do HS students in NYC/LI get to CHOOSE their schools, or are they bound to district/zip code schools?

[gk90]

Be aware that NYC and LI are completely different in terms of schools and districts.
The NYC Board of Education http://schools.nyc.gov/default.htm is a gigantic entity, the largest in the country, with 1700+ schools
LI is split into dozens and dozens of districts, each with just a handful of schools. http://www.longislandexchange.com/sc...districts.html On LI it's roughly one district per village or town but there are plenty of exceptions to that.

Are there school buses in NYC/LI for HS students?
In LI, yes, within a certain mileage--many districts provide buses for students over 1 1/2 miles from the school, but the mileage depends on the district.
In NYC, no--students get reduced fare metrocards instead. Also I know of groups of parents in Queens who hire private buses to get their kids to Bronx Science.

And also, do HS students in NYC/LI get to CHOOSE their schools, or are they bound to district/zip code schools?
In NYC--not bound by zip code. The application/choice process is crazy, much more complicated than I can explain so I'll defer to someone else who can describe it. Meanwhile here's a link: http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnroll...gh/default.htm
In LI--no choice except for public/private, very much bound by zip codes. I think a couple of districts may be exceptions, like Sewanhaka?

[JCG23]

Great info....Thanks!!

[checkmatechamp13]

To get the specifics for Long Island, you're going to have to ask on that forum. Basically, you're zoned for a specific school and you have to ask for a special variance if you're going to a school in a different zone.

Here in NYC, it depends. You can apply to any school in the city, but some areas have zones. You're not required to go to the zoned high school, but you do get preference if you apply there.

As far as busing, here in NYC, no high school student (except maybe special education students) gets a school bus. We all get Student MetroCards based on how far we live from school. If you live less than 1 mile from school, you don't get any Student MetroCard. If you live between 1 and 1.5 miles from school, you pay half fare, and the Student MetroCard is only valid on buses, but not subway trains. If you live over 1.5 miles from school, you get a full-fare Student MetroCard (the student pays nothing).

On Long Island, they do transportation based on distance. I think they have Student MetroCards out in Nassau County (and in Suffolk County, students pay half-fare), but most students probably get school bus service.