North Shore elementary schools among NY’s best: Niche.com

Luke Torrance
Saddle Rock Elementary School. (Photo courtesy of Great Neck Public Schools)

A number of elementary schools on the North Shore led the pack in Niche.com’s annual rankings in New York, and all of the schools in the area were among the top 30 percent in the state.

Earlier, the group ranked three North Shore school districts in the state’s top 10 and nine area districts in the top 100.

In its latest ranking, Great Neck’s three elementary schools finished among the state’s top 20 public elementary schools, with Lakeville Elementary and E.M. Baker School ranked No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. Saddle Rock ranked No. 19. (John F. Kennedy was No. 44.)

In the Herricks school district, Center Street Elementary was No. 14, Denton Avenue Elementary was No. 18 and Searington Elementary came in at No. 22.

East Williston’s North Side Elementary came in at No. 28.

Both of Manhasset’s elementary schools made the top 100: Shelter Rock at No. 25 and Munsey Park at No. 59.

In between those two were Roslyn’s Harbor Hill (No. 48) and East Hill (No. 56). Roslyn Heights was not given a ranking.

This year’s ranking continued a slide for the Port Washington elementary schools. As recently as 2015, all five elementary schools within the district were ranked within the top 100 in the state. Last year only three of the schools made the cut, and this year it is down to one: South Salem, at No. 57.

“It’s always nice when one of our schools is celebrated on a list such as this,” Superintendent Kathleen Mooney said. “However, I caution staff members, parents and students into putting too much weight into these type of rankings.”

In the Mineola school district, Meadow Drive was ranked No. 210,  Hampton Street was No. 413, and Jackson Avenue was No. 805.

Rounding out the rankings were the schools of the New Hyde Park and Floral Park areas: New Hyde Park Road Elementary (No. 328), Manor Oaks William Bowie Elementary (No. 348), Hillside Elementary (No. 397), Floral Park-Bellrose Elementary (No. 524), Garden City Park Elementary (No. 553) and John Lewis Childs (No. 605).

Niche.com ranked a total of 2,756 public elementary schools in New York, which meant all local elementary schools ranked within the top 30 percent.

According to Niche, the rankings are determined by a number of factors. The “academics” grade, based on state assessment proficiency and survey responses from parents and students, accounted for 50 percent of a school’s grade.

Teacher salary and absenteeism, state test results and surveys determined the “teacher” grade, which made up 20 percent of the total grade. The district’s “overall grade” made up 15 percent of the final grade, “culture and diversity” made up 10 percent and “parent/student surveys on overall experience” made up 5 percent.

While the school districts were pleased to receive praise from Niche, administrators like Mooney said they had their own methods for assessing the elementary schools in their districts.

“The district’s main focus is to provide a top-notch, 21st century curriculum to its students – an education that enriches the ‘whole’ child and prepares them for life beyond our schools,” she said. “Our efforts are focused on constantly evolving our curriculum and ensuring that those goals are met; they are not undertaken merely with the goal of improving rank on a list.”

Share this Article