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If you need a train close by I would rule out Levittown.
No input on schools. I dont have kids and I dont care about the rankings. Move where you like, be a good parent and your kid will get a fine education.
Wantagh has nice, smaller schools (graduating class a little over 200 people) and some very pretty areas to live in. Their library leaves much to be desired. There is no real diversity, economic or ethnic. You are going to find mainly solidly middle class White people there. I have never felt unsafe there, but there is no real downtown and taxes are high. I don't know much about the other towns.
What do you call the area within 1/4 mile radius of Wantagh Avenue and the LIRR?
Well for what it's worth I'm working on the 2014 rankings and Wantagh (Wantagh HS) scored highest 88.5, followed by Massapequa (Massapequa HS) 85.1, and then Levittown MacArthur High 82.3 and Levittown Division High 78.1
Wantagh had 76% graduated with Advanced Regents Diploma, Mass 71, MacArthur 75, Division 68. 83% of Wantagh students go on to a 4 year college, 77% in Mass, 71% Macarthur, 68% Division.
On a personal note if I had to pick one I'd go Wantagh regardless, as it is the most suburban of those areas, has an amazing park and is close to the water, but you will pay flood insurance!
Are you aware that Wantagh Woods, the most desirable part of Wantagh, is north of Sunrise Highway?
I think its a great middle class area but not as great as ppl make it out to be. A good friend of mine lives in Massapequa/Seaford/Wantagh and she acts as if it's Dix Hills or something lol.
As for schools, I cant speak on them which yeah...I know its the premise of your question.
Just my 2 cents
a good friend of mine lives in Melville/Dix Hills/Commack (yes, all three at the same time, I don't know how she does it) and says its boring as @#$%
I'm amazed you run to defend Vietnam (which I admired you for) and come out with such ridiculous rhetoric about Levittown. Examples please, of these areas 2 notches about Mastic/Shirley? You know a good chunk of "Wantagh on the Riv'" goes to Levittown schools, right?...and Massapequa seems to have an itzy bitzy heroin problem. Levittown just keeps getting better.
For the OP: Massapequa and Wantagh are more similar in ex-pat Brooklyn/Queens Italian-esque roots and higher median income. Schools slightly better ranked and much wider selection of home prices ($350k up to millions). Levittown slightly lower ranked schools (although MacArthur beat Wantagh on one of the recent rankings on here) and much more modest homes. You won't find a million dollar home in Levittown (yet) and for what you get, taxes are high. All 3 are low crime, family oriented, low industrial base classic suburban neighborhoods. There are parts of Mass. and Wantagh that are identical to Levittown (most of North Wantagh is zoned for Levittown schools). There are also many more upscale areas, in large part because both have waterfront areas while Levittown does not. Also, Mass. and Wantagh have LIRR stations along Sunrise Highway. Levittown residents either use Hicksville, Wantagh or maybe Bellmore stations for commuting depending on location. All 3 nice areas. If you have $550k+ to spend, probably start with Mass or Wantagh. If you want (or need) to stay under $450k and get similar bang for the buck, Levittown is one of the best kept secrets for starter homes for young families in Nassau County.
Will make note! Thanks so much for your input. We don't know much about that area of the South Shore (but Lev, Mass and Wantagh are starting to look great) and recently considered it b/c I need to commute into the city maybe and my husband to Queens in Astoria. We find N shore too pricey. And WAY south shore is starting to look like crap. We'd love to live in Lynbrook/RVC - but for the money, the homes look like crap. AND we have a baby on the way in July, so schools are going to be important for us in the future.
Will make note! Thanks so much for your input. We don't know much about that area of the South Shore (but Lev, Mass and Wantagh are starting to look great) and recently considered it b/c I need to commute into the city maybe and my husband to Queens in Astoria. We find N shore too pricey. And WAY south shore is starting to look like crap. We'd love to live in Lynbrook/RVC - but for the money, the homes look like crap. AND we have a baby on the way in July, so schools are going to be important for us in the future.
Based on this, let me suggest a town for you - South Hempstead with Rockville Centre schools. S. Hempstead is far enough in-land to help you steer clear of low elevated flood zones, but close enough to Queens so that the commute to NYC or Astoria is not that long. Also, RVC schools are rated one of the best. If you cant afford the homes in Garden City, Roslyn, Port Washington, Jericho or Syosset this is your best bet. Personally, anything further out from Merrick or Bellmore on the LIRR Babylon line will require a good 1-2 hour commute to NYC door to door.
Well for what it's worth I'm working on the 2014 rankings and Wantagh (Wantagh HS) scored highest 88.5, followed by Massapequa (Massapequa HS) 85.1, and then Levittown MacArthur High 82.3 and Levittown Division High 78.1
Wantagh had 76% graduated with Advanced Regents Diploma, Mass 71, MacArthur 75, Division 68. 83% of Wantagh students go on to a 4 year college, 77% in Mass, 71% Macarthur, 68% Division.
These are based off the newly released NYSED 2012-2013 Report Cards.
Methodology for rankings (designed by user Pequaman):
Grad Rate (replaced with general ed regents diploma) - 1x
Post-secondary Plans 2011-2012 Completers
To 4-year College - 2x
To College (4-year+2-year) - 1x
Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation - 2x
Comprehensive English (scored 65+/85+) - 2x
Algebra 2/Trig (scored 65+/85+) - 2x
Global History and Geography (scored 85+) - 1x
On a personal note if I had to pick one I'd go Wantagh regardless, as it is the most suburban of those areas, has an amazing park and is close to the water, but you will pay flood insurance!
Thanks so much for all of this info. We have a baby on the way, and although she won't be in school for 5 years, this is extremely important to us as is staying within budget. Thanks again.
How much is flood insurance (approx) in towns like this? Is this additional to homeowners insurance?
Wantagh has nice, smaller schools (graduating class a little over 200 people) and some very pretty areas to live in. Their library leaves much to be desired. There is no real diversity, economic or ethnic. You are going to find mainly solidly middle class White people there. I have never felt unsafe there, but there is no real downtown and taxes are high. I don't know much about the other towns.
Good that you mentioned although not a surprise. We're white/cuban and black (my daughter will be mixed). My husband went to all white private schools, so he doesn't mind the same for his daughter. It might be different, but we have no alternative. We want to raise our daughter in a nice neighborhood with ppl who care about their neighborhood. Where we live now is not first pick in comparison.
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