Niche Ranks Best Sachem-Area Schools

RONKONKOMA, NY — Several schools in the Sachem area have been ranked among the top schools in the state, according to new rankings released Monday by Niche. That includes schools in the Connetquot Central School District and the Sachem Central School District.

Edith L. Slocum Elementary School in Ronkonkoma earned an impressive "A" grade from the company. Several schools, including Ronkonkoma Middle School, Sachem High School North and Sachem High School East, all earned "A-" grades.

Here are the best schools in the area and their rankings:

• Edith L. Slocum Elementary School — 303rd ranked public elementary school in the state.
• Ronkonkoma Middle School — 232nd ranked public middle school in the state.
• Sachem High School East — 249th ranked public high school in the state.
• Sachem High School North — 250th ranked public high school in the state.
• Samoset Middle School — 323rd ranked public middle school in the state.
• Cayuga School — 902nd ranked public elementary school in the state.
• Helen B. Duffield Elementary School — 910th ranked public elementary school in the state.
• Grundy Avenue School — 915th ranked public elementary school in the state.
• Seneca Middle School — 407th ranked public middle school in the state.
• Nokomis School — 976th ranked public elementary school in the state.
• Sagamore Middle School — 285th ranked public middle school in the state.
• Tamarac Elementary School — 686th ranked public elementary school in the state.
• Newfield High School — 269th ranked public high school in the state

Sachem High School North notable was the 333rd ranked high school for science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the state.

Several other schools in the Connetquot Central School District were also listed among the best overall in the state, as well as in the Hauppage Union Free School District and the Middle Country Central School District. That includes Bretton Woods Elementary School, John Pearl Elementary School, Hauppauge Middle School and Hauppauge High School, which all earned "A" grades.

Niche looked at more than 94,000 public schools, 4,100 private schools and nearly 11,000 school districts across the country. The rankings are meant to help parents and students find schools that best fit their needs.

“Unlike traditional school rankings, which rely almost exclusively on test scores and academic performance, Niche’s rankings provide a real-life view of what it’s like to attend a given school,” the company said in a news release.

Comments from current students, alumni, and parents are included in the analysis, as well as observations about things like campus life, extracurricular activities, sports options, diversity, and programs for gifted and special needs students.

“Parents and students need more than test-score data,” Luke Skurman, CEO at Niche, said in the news release. “They need to understand what it’s really like to attend a school before they start the application or registration process.”

For the first time, Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, were ranked the top private and public high schools, respectively, in the nation.

2020 top public high schools:

1. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology
2. Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
3. Walter Payton College Prep
4. Stuyvesant High School
5. Bergen County Academies

2020 top private high schools

1. Phillips Exeter Academy
2. St. Mark’s School of Texas
3. Phillips Academy
4. The College Preparatory School
5. Trinity School