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I'm looking to move to LI with my family (been commuting from brooklyn for almost 3 years and need a good SD and a place to raise kids). So decided on merrick, as i really like the area with distinct neighborhoods and schools are all pretty good at fairly reasonable prices compared to north shore area. Anyway, here is my issue.
Found one house in merrick woods (SD 29) which looks great from the outside and fantastic area but is going to be a never ending project or requires ton of $ to be fixed upfront and i cant afford to do that kind of reno now. I also found a house in wenshaw park area ( much bigger house) pretty much fully move-in at slightly higher cost and it came down in price considerably. So merrick woods offers convenience, great area, etc, etc.. i also really like wenshaw park area as well, but i am hearing SD#4 isnt as good and just learned about mepham hazing incident.. So hoping some people who know the area can answer the question is which would you pick and why?
By numbers only Mepham scored slightly better over all than Calhoun last year. Mepham also had a higher % graduate with Advanced Regents Dipolmas: 72% vs 62% at Calhoun. So I would guess your info is incorrect? I don't know the area at all, these are just the numbers I came up with when doing the rankings:
The Mepham hazing scandal was a few years ago and these types of things unfortunately happen in all schools - good and bad. They addressed the issue well and as far as I know, case closed.
We are in SD 4 and I do not have any complaints, our sons have all graduated from Mepham, gone to SUNY schools and are doing well. Schools are like banks - you get out what you put in.
My advice is to get the best house that you can afford in the best area. The taxes will be based upon what you paid for it - not what the current assessment is. If the house needs work but will satisfy your needs, you can do the work gradually as the $ becomes available.
Don't judge Mepham on a few rotten eggs. As sad as it is, hazing incidents like this happen every so often. All this month Sayreville in New Jersey has been all over the news for a hazing incident. Mepham has gained new leadership in the past few years and is a strong contender in Long Island academics and athletics.
I would recommend getting the house that can offer the best long term benefits for your family. Make sure you like your neighbors and property, the house you can fix up later. We bought a small house with a nice yard on a friendly block. When we were ready to expand we got an excellent contractor and made our dream home.
Good luck!
Last edited by hockeyj354; 10-21-2014 at 09:28 PM..
Reason: typo
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