Three Central District schools make NY's top public schools list

John F. Kennedy, Sanford H. Calhoun and Wellington C. Mepham High Schools have all been named to Niche.com’s list of the 100 best public schools in New York.

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.

Mepham High, which came in at number 66 on the list, received an average overall grade of A-plus, earning its only grade lower than an A in the Diversity component, for which Mepham received a C-plus.

Kennedy High, which came in at number 89, received an average overall grade of A-plus as well. Kennedy received All A’s and A-pluses, except for a similar grade of C-minus in diversity. Niche found that the student body at Kennedy was only 13 percent diverse.

Calhoun High, which came in at number 97, also received an overall grade of A-plus and all A’s in the subcategories, but a C-grade in diversity.

Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District Superintendent John DeTommaso said that he was pleased with the news of the high schools’ ranking.

“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.”