Niche.com ranks North Shore elementary school among New York, nation’s best

James Galloway

Niche.com ranked six North Shore area schools in its 2015 list of the nation’s top 100 public elementary schools, including schools from Great Neck, Herricks and Manhasset school districts.

Niche.com also ranked eight additional schools on the North Shore among the top 100 public elementary schools in New York, including from Port Washington, Roslyn and East Williston school districts.

In total, Niche.com — a Pennsylvania-based startup that compiles statistics and survey data on cities, neighborhoods, schools and colleges in the United States — ranked more than 40,000 elementary schools nationwide, basing its scores on student achievement and survey metrics and the results of parents, students and alumni surveys. It also provided a letter grades to each school in four categories: academics, district overall experience, teachers and student culture and diversity.

All of the schools included in the list were in the top echelon of the 99th percentile.

Four Great Neck elementary schools — Lakeville, E.M. Baker, Saddle Rock and John F. Kennedy — appeared in the top 100 at places six, nine, 15 and 67, respectively. The Lakeville, E.M. Baker and Saddle Rock three also appeared in the nation’s top 100 at places 12, 19 and 36, respectively.

All three nationally ranked Great Neck schools received an A+ in academics, overall experience and teachers, while John F. Kennedy received two A+’s and an A in academics.

Manhasset’s two elementary schools, Munsey Park and Shelter Rock, each appeared on the national and state lists. Shelter Rock ranked 35th in the nation and 15th in the state with A+ grades in academics, overall experience and teachers and a C+ in student culture and diversity.  

Munsey Park ranked park ranked 46th nationally and 19th in New York with three A+ grades and a C in student culture and diversity.

The academic grade accounted for 50 percent of a district’s total score, while overall experience and teacher scores accounted for 20 percent each. Student culture and diversity accounted for 10 percent.

Center Street School in Williston Park, a part of the Herricks School District, rounded off the nationally ranked North Shore schools at 99th. Niche.com also ranked Center Street, which received three A+ grades and a B+ in diversity, as the 30th best public elementary school in New York.  

Herricks’ two other elementary schools, Searingtwon and Denton Avenue, were ranked 40th and 45th in the state, respectively.

“It’s no surprise to me to find our schools in the top 100 in the state,” Herricks Board of Education President James Gounaris said. “Our family members, our students and our staff always work cooperatively for the greater educational wellness of the students. The diversity of the school district, along with the mission of educational excellence, is what consistently compels us forward.”

All five Port Washington elementary schools appeared in Niche.com’s top 100 list for New York: Guggenheim ranked 35th, South Salem ranked 43rd, John Philip Sousa ranked 49th, Manorhaven ranked 55th and John J. Daly ranked 75th.

East Hills Elementary Schools from the Roslyn School District ranked 46th in New York and was the only of the district’s three elementary schools to make the list. East Hills received an A+ in academics, district overall and teachers and a C+ in culture and diversity.

East Williston’s North Side School, the district’s only elementary school, ranked 70th in New York with an A in academics, an A+ in district overall and teachers, and a C in student culture and diversity.

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