Bellmore-Merrick named among NY’s top districts

The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District was recently named the 34th best district in the state by Niche.com.

The distinction follows a March ranking by the same site that placed the district’s John F. Kennedy, Sanford H. Calhoun and Wellington C. Mepham High Schools all among the 100 best public schools in the state.

Niche gave the district an A-plus rating for academics, teachers and clubs and activities, and an A for college prep and health and safety. The only ranked area for which the district received less than an A was in diversity, for which it received a C-plus.

Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District Superintendent John DeTommaso said in March that he was pleased with the recognition the schools and district have received.

“These lists are nice to be on, but in no way do they measure the total greatness of all Bellmore-Merrick schools,” he said. “I would encourage any creator of any of the lists currently being published to come visit our schools for an extended period of time so they can really delve into the amazing things that happen in the CHSD, and for that matter, the four elementary component districts, on a daily basis. All the schools in the Bellmore and the Merrick communities should be at the top of any list using any measures one can possibly conceive.”

Niche is a website for parents to use when researching schools and districts. In calculating the top public schools, it took into account: academics, based on state assessments, SAT/ACT scores and parent/student survey responses; culture and diversity, based race and economics, as well as surveys from parents and students; health and safety, including chronic absenteeism, suspensions and expulsions; teacher scores from students and parents; resources and facilities; sports, and more.