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Would anyone be able to provide insight based on first-hand experience regarding the differences between living in the CSH school district and the Huntington District 3 school district? My husband and I are considering both areas in our home search -- with a focus on Lloyd Neck and Huntington north of 25A. We are interested in insight regarding home investment value, neighborhood quality of life, cultural differences, and the public school educational experience. Where would you recommend buying for a family with two elementary school-aged children?
Specific questions:
Regarding CSH - Does CSH feature a very competitive academic environment? While quality of education is important to us, I am not looking for a pressure cooker. Also, is there economic cultural diversity in the CSH district, or is the socio-economic dynamic such that it would be difficult to be a child in the district unless your parents are very affluent.
Regarding Huntington - Is Huntington experiencing instability as a result of the demographic change brought about by the influx of immigrants to the Huntington Station area? Is Huntington still a good investment?
I grew up in Huntington #3 and went to school there; at the time it was considered a top district, although the problems it has now were just beginning.
If I had the money to buy in CSH, I probably wouldn't even consider Huntington right now. Huntington is always in a state of flux, re-organizing the schools and sending the kids hither and yon all over the district. You're probably thinking "I'll just buy north of 25A and my kids will go to Flower Hill or Southdown" - no, that's not how it works. And even if you buy a house and your kids are zoned for a certain school that you are OK with, that can all change in 3 years. My family never moved, but I went to 3 different elementary schools!
The education offered is not terrible. As you mentioned, there is a large minority population, kids of illegal immigrants. Always been that way. The programs offered are strong. If you are involved, your kids will do fine, but you'll be living north of 25A and your kids will be sitting next to "the riff raff" and there will always be resentments on one side and snobbery on the other and clashes will occur.
Huntington is a great place to live but you can get all the benefits of that by living in CSH and IMHO although Lloyd Harbor is gorgeous it's terribly inconvenient.
Huntington is a great place to live. I lived in Halesite (North of 25A) near the harbor just east of the 7-11 on NY Ave for 9 years. We loved it there. The properties weren't exceptionally large and it was hilly which isn't great with 2 small kids. As far as the education we were not happy with what district 3 was offering in preK and K going into first. They are big on busing kids around the district so there are kids from Huntington Station attending elementary schools up in Southdown. They tried to pass it off as a positive with ESL classes etc.. It was BS. We sent our daughter to St. Pats. My son is in pre-school now and felt it would be difficult to support Halesite taxes and 2 Catholic school tuitions in a house that needed to be bigger on flatter property so we left for Greenlawn (Harborfields) which is a much higher rated public district. Our taxes are the same as Huntington plus Catholic school for 1 kid so when my son enters in a couple of years we will be ahead of the game on twice the size property, flat street and pool.
Cold Spring Harbor is another stratosphere. One of the highest ranking districts on the Island. I think #1 in Suffolk. Houses start in the 7's and those are small and need to be fixed up. I don't know about pressure but I would assume if you can afford to send your kids to a school like that with very high taxes, there will be competition.
Although a step down from CSH, both the Harborfields (Centerport and Greenlawn) and the Elwood District (E. Northport, parts of Greenlawn and parts of Huntington) are very good. Much more middle class which may or may not be attractive. There is more diversity if you are looking for that. Be careful though because there are areas of incredible wealth surrounded by lower income houses. You have to be selective. The further North, the better off you are. If you are not looking for diversity and can afford CSH, then do so. We couldn't find what we wanted in Centerport but it is beautiful up above 25A. Washington Dr (K-2) where my daughter goes is up there. Great facility. We are very happy in Greenlawn although as far as the town, it lacks a lot. Huntington has so much going on but it is a quick drive over from Greenlawn or CSH. Good Luck.
As you mentioned, there is a large minority population, kids of illegal immigrants. Always been that way.
Actually, the Huntington SD has not always been that way.
Way back in the early 1970's, literally 70 black students caused plenty of trouble for a school that numbered 1800+ students. I know because I was there and saw it first hand. Police were up at the school arresting the blacks who were beating up white students inside and outside the school. I can remember the blacks staged a sit-in (very much in vogue at the time). This lasted for the 3 long years that I was stuck there as a student. I didn't venture out on the school grounds - didn't want to be attacked.
Fast forward to 1979/1980 when the local liberal Huntington politicos decided that it would be a great idea to build section 8 apartments where the torn down Huntington Station village used to be. Right on the edge of SD3. Yeah, that was a stupendous idea, and we're still paying for it. Those apartments were a magnet for low lifes who moved into the area with their drugs, their gangs, their guns, their shootings, etc. You get the idea. And it's been the same way ever since. Those residents of those same apartments reproduce on the average of 15 years with their offspring attending Huntington HS.
Last Friday I was at Huntington HS for a NYSSMA event and was able to talk with a current high school junior. This student told me the high school does have AP courses, they have the usual teachers (a few wonderful teachers, lots of mediocre teachers, and a number of really bad teachers who should be fired - just like at any other high school anywhere on LI or in the US for that matter), they have tracking, etc. But they also have 15 paid security guards - not parents - and 2 SCPD cops there all the time. Gee, that sounds just great - doesn't that make you want to enroll your kids there immediately?
Would I send my kids to Huntington SD3? No way in hell. We live in Huntington currently, but we waited for my son to finish at Ward Melville HS before we moved back here. That pretty much says it all.
I think Harborfields is the way to go.
CSH is okay - but there are the students being driven up in chauffered limos, and the course selection up at the high school is limited.
You don't want a high school that doesn't have some competition - that would mean the students aren't very academically oriented and AP courses may be non-existent. Looking for a school district so that your kids will have an easy time probably isn't the smartest thing to do. It ranks up there with parents holding their kids back a full year thinking it will give them some kind of academic advantage. Usually the way that turns out is the kids are a full year older and are no smarter than the rest of the kids who are a full year younger, and so waste a year waiting around.
Do not buy in Huntington SD #3. Just not a good investment IMO unless you plan to pay for private school. Too much chaos going on in the SD. To have a gorgeous home but a so so district with trouble is not a wise way to spend money IMO.
Go for a home in Harborfields or CSH. But if you are moving to CSH, make sure you have the funds to keep up with the majority otherwise I imagine it might not be a pleasant way to live if you are financially struggling compared to others around you.
Although a step down from CSH, both the Harborfields (Centerport and Greenlawn)
Also note for the OP...Harborfields also encompasses some wonderful and safe areas of Huntington that border Greenlawn (for ex Salem Ridge). These are gorgeous and phenomenal acre properties, homes that are 600 -1 mil +, etc.
Four of my nieces and nephews went to Huntington High School (district 3) between 1998-2008, and went on to Weil Cornell Med, Stanford, NYU, and Columbia. They had very positive experiences. District #3 is quite lareg and includes a very diverse ethnic and socio-economic population. They will go to school with children from the less desirable areas of Huntington Station. Some see this as more reflective of the real world community in the Huntington area (and the larger world our kids will be sent off to after 12th grade). Some see it as well, frightening. That said, I personally would be wary of sending my children to #3 right now and would feel much more comfortable in CSH in Harborfields.
I'm an alumnus of CSH High and also have nieces that currently attend the district who are very happy. It's a great little district! Beautiful campuses. Small classes. Small community. Plenty of activities (although not as many as the neighboring districts). It's also not perfect though. You'll commonly hear people say the High School is "more like a prep school." It's really not...still a public school with a public school approach to education. There are well known discipline problems. There can be a cliquey exclusionary attitude (which is funny because it mainly comes from newer residents, not the people whose families predate the hamlet's tony brand name rep). Test scores are excellent, but that's almost always the case when you sample kids from a well-educated affluent community.
Either way. Have a look around and see what suits you. CSH and the larger Huntington area is a wonderful place to raise a family (and great fun for the adults too!). I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreaII
I think Harborfields is the way to go.
CSH is okay - but there are the students being driven up in chauffered limos, and the course selection up at the high school is limited.
The "kids getting dropped off in limos" thing is mainly an urban legend that has persisted for years from people who have no firsthand experience with the district. For the most part, the kids at CSH come from upper middle-class professional families. I've never experienced/ heard of children who are regularly dropped of in limos.
Thank you all for your input. I really appreciate it! These are difficult questions to sort out without first-hand experience. We are mulling it all over. The more information the better.
We just bought a house in Huntington SD#3, between Cove and Bay Rd. It's an amazingly gorgeous area. We are supremely comfortable with our children being in this SD because we are very involved with their education. Wherever they are, they will succeed.
With that said, if I had the money to live in CSH, I would in a heart beat. It's top notch; not many districts in this country can compare to it, let alone LI.
The "kids getting dropped off in limos" thing is mainly an urban legend that has persisted for years from people who have no firsthand experience with the district. For the most part, the kids at CSH come from upper middle-class professional families. I've never experienced/ heard of children who are regularly dropped of in limos.
Anastasia Glasheen was the choral teacher at the high school for quite a few years, and a personal friend of mine. It was she who reported the limos that some of the students took to school in the morning.
Currently Anastasia is getting her doctorate in choral conducting from U. of Southern CA if you'd like verification from her.
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