Looking to buy in Long Island, GN and Bayside

[LegalDiva]

I graduated from Bayside High and dont recommend it to anyone. My husband graduated from Baldwin HS and the education he received there was much better than mine even though I managed to get AP credit as a college freshman because of AP tests, and learned Latin. I cant fathom how bad Bayside is now, with the influx of new residents from Flushing and other parts of Queens and 2nd generation immigrant young families who just "upgraded" to Bayside/Whitestone.

The school districts on the Island are much better, in terms of curriculum and extracurrical opprtunities, social/socioeconomic standing of fellow classmates and percentage of parents who care a great deal about education in general.... and there is no guarantee that your kid will even get into a top HS like Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, etc because the competition for spots at those schools is extremely fierce for all NYC high school applicants.

I also recommend Port Washington. While you do get more bang for your buck moving to RVC, Merrick, Bellmore, Seaford, etc (Babylon LIRR line), your commute to midtown Manhattan will easily be 1 hour or more door to door (including the 10-15 min drive to the LIRR station every morning).

[ANiceChianti]

Okay, I agree with the "stay away from Bayside High" sentiment, but it's ludicrous to compare "above average" high schools on Long Island to Cardozo High School. It is one of the top-rated schools for science and technology (and especially science research) in the nation, and the only schools in the city that would top it in that field are the "entrance-exam" schools like Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, and Stuyvesant. The DaVinci Science program there is phenomenal, and if the student is zoned for the school, they can enter the program without having to go through the same application process as other NYC residents. They always have numerous Intel semifinalists every year, and often place in the top two or three in the state in the Science Olympiad competition. The only schools that would compare to in in this field on LI would probably be Cold Spring Harbor and Ward Melville. If science is not your thing, they also have law and performing arts programs (same deal with the waived application process for resident students). They have a separate office just for college application guidance, so students don't have to rely on their generic "guidance councellor" for this process. There are also numerous sections of any and all AP courses that a student may want to take.

I'm not saying anything against Great Neck schools, because I know that they are excellent. But it's very silly to assume that most, or even many, of the LI high schools are better than Cardozo, simply because it is a city school. I work in an excellent school district on Long Island, and have relatives that work in Great Neck. Still, I would say that Cardozo will give any LI school a run for its money. There's something to be said for the benfits of a school where the "taxpayers" don't have the power to dictate school policy (yes, I'm one of those too). Education should come before local politics.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by ANiceChianti

There's something to be said for the benfits of a school where the "taxpayers" don't have the power to dictate school policy (yes, I'm one of those too). Education should come before local politics.

Yes, let's leave it to the educational elitists.

And, while we're at it, let's do the same with all gov't functions.