Elementary Schools - Port Washington vs. Manhasset (New York, Garden City: house, school districts)
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Would love to know anyone's opinion on general education in both area schools. We are considering both areas, and would love to hear the experiences of posters who have sent their children to these schools.
Would love to know anyone's opinion on general education in both area schools. We are considering both areas, and would love to hear the experiences of posters who have sent their children to these schools.
Thanks!
Both are great districts. My son is at Guggenheim Elementary In Port Washington and the school and teachers are great! Manhasset is also an excellent district. Can't go wrong with either in my opinion.
Yes Port Washington is more "diverse" and some people still have an issue with that (sigh), but believe me it is a non-issue, it is an excellent district.
Elementary schools aren't really something one should base their decision on around here. On LI even the elementary schools in the hood are pretty good. If you're choosing between PW and Manhasset, I'd just go with the best possible house/block.
That's great to hear. We really like both areas. I suppose my main concern was if we settle down in an area, our kids will make friends and it would be hard to change school districts later when then go to high school.
Manhasset High School is higher ranking than Schreiber High School, but that doesn't mean Schreiber is significantly inferior. Manhasset only scores higher by a few points. If I were you, I'd go for Port Washington. You're money will go further there, and I think the fact that it's more diverse is major plus for Port Washington. I am from Garden City which is similar demographically to Manhasset, and my parents as well as many other people became very unhappy over the years with the lack of economic diversity. Having too much of a "keeping up with the Joneses" attitude in school is a real negative drawback, despite how highly ranked the school is. Do you really want to send your children to a high school where the students drive more expensive cars than the teachers?
Sure Port Washington has its share of "keeping up with the Joneses", but it's far less than Manhasset. My aunt sent my cousins to Port Washington Schools and had nothing but good things to say about it. Both my cousins were challenged and did well at Schreiber High School. They ended up going to top colleges.
I live in Port Washington for the past 2+ years. Moved here for all the reasons most would move here. Good balance of schools and homes that look and feel like a home. In other words, I was priced out of Manhasset at the time.
I am already thinking of the upgrade since my family is fast expanding. My wife is trying to convince me that we should move out to Great Neck or Manhasset since we are no longer priced out for what we want. I ask her why spend more on the same house we can get in the PW school district? She tells me the schools are better. I tell her to prove it to me that they are significantly better. So there is a bit of back and forth on this topic about schools. I like it here in PW and think the schools between the three areas are comparable. (Although, I would admit purely in rankings, it would be Great Neck, Manhasset, then Port Washington.)
So I guess the general message to the OP is that to pick the location that you honestly in your heart desire more. I believe my wife just thinks that Manhasset is just better. It's black and white for her. I look at things in a holistic manner. If I don't see significant improvement (school or house), then I don't see it as better.
So I say the elementary schools are all about the same. Some are slightly better. My wife would say Manhasset is better.
If you fancy test scores then here they are. You will notice that Manhasset elementary schools (only 2) fair better then Port Washington schools (5 schools). Sousa Elementary scored similar to the Manhasset elementary schools. In the grand scheme of things, the scores are a wash up since they eventually funnel into middle and high school. In my opinion, the scores are only useful if you think your kid needs to be surrounded by kids who are good in math or are good test takers (like the specialized magnet schools in NYC.) Port Washington totally blew it out of the water with Math. Other then that, I am not sure what the difference is between one suburb public school verses another. It's public school. I really don't know how I can expect a truly privileged preparatory private school experience at public school prices.
As it was stated before, PW is diverse. Here is an example: A brand new family moves to the country and settles down in PW b/c parents are doctors and it's a great location...well their children sit for the state tests even if they are barely fluent. The child's test score is now factored in, lowering the overall value as determined by NYS Dept of EDu. This is the same kid who by MS/HS is performing at the top of her/his peer group. This is what makes Port Washington school great on so many levels.
Last edited by 123abc123; 01-08-2012 at 05:56 AM..
Reason: Gender inclusion
Jshlee - I envision myself having a similar conversation with my wife years from now...!
I've seen the data on test scores. I guess I was more trying to gauge the other factors, such as - are the kids inspired? Is there really progressive curriculum at either schools? What kind of colleges are the kids choosing?
Are they getting accepted at the top colleges?
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