Roslyn, Syosset, and the Half Hollow Hills school district serving parts of Dix Hills and Melville are among the school communities families can compare when researching public education on Long Island. Other districts worth comparing include Jericho, Great Neck, Manhasset, Garden City, Cold Spring Harbor, Harborfields, and Three Village. The most useful comparison is between specific school districts and schools, since a community name alone does not establish where a child will attend.
Start with our Long Island School Performance & Rankings page for district-by-district graduation rates across Nassau County and Suffolk County. It brings the local statistics together and explains how to compare results, with links to the underlying New York State education data.
Which Long Island School Districts Stand Out?
Graduation rates offer one useful starting point. In the 2023–24 figures presented on our Long Island School Performance & Rankings page, Garden City and Cold Spring Harbor each recorded a 100% four-year graduation rate. Jericho, Manhasset, Roslyn, and Harborfields each recorded 98%. These figures cover all students in the four-year cohort, using August outcomes; they are not an overall ranking of school quality.
Families should also compare course offerings, student support, arts, athletics, and the individual schools their children would attend. Within the Town of Huntington, for example, Half Hollow Hills, Huntington, Harborfields, and Cold Spring Harbor are separate districts. Choosing a town does not establish which school system serves a particular property.
Districts and Communities to Compare
The examples below connect district names with familiar communities. They are a research shortlist, not a ranked list or a complete description of district boundaries. A listed community may contain addresses served by more than one district.
| School District | Community or Area to Research | County |
|---|---|---|
| Roslyn | Roslyn area | Nassau County |
| Syosset | Syosset area | Nassau County |
| Jericho | Jericho area | Nassau County |
| Great Neck | Great Neck area | Nassau County |
| Manhasset | Manhasset area | Nassau County |
| Garden City | Garden City area | Nassau County |
| Half Hollow Hills | Parts of Dix Hills and Melville | Suffolk County |
| Cold Spring Harbor | Cold Spring Harbor area | Suffolk County |
| Harborfields | Parts of Greenlawn and Centerport | Suffolk County |
| Three Village | Parts of Stony Brook, Setauket, and East Setauket | Suffolk County |
How Should Families Compare Schools?
Our Long Island School Performance & Rankings page provides district-level graduation-rate comparisons and links to education data. Check the reporting year and graduation measure when using those figures. A graduation rate describes one outcome for a particular student cohort; it does not measure every aspect of school quality.
For a fuller comparison, use the district statistics and official report-card resources linked from our Long Island School Performance & Rankings page, alongside district websites. Consider academic results, attendance, advanced courses, arts and music, career education, special education, English-language support, and counseling. Review the elementary, middle, and high schools your child would actually attend, rather than relying only on a district’s overall reputation.
Verify the District Before Choosing a Home
A real estate listing’s mailing address does not establish school enrollment eligibility. Confirm the district and assigned schools directly with the district’s registration office for the specific property. Ask about residency documentation and attendance boundaries, and review housing costs, property taxes, transportation, and commuting needs alongside school information.
The best school community on Long Island depends on your child’s needs and your family’s priorities. Use the districts above as starting points, compare the evidence in our School Performance & Rankings guide, and confirm enrollment eligibility before committing to an address. That approach gives families a firmer basis for choosing a community than a town name or a single ranking alone.