West York Area Middle School - West York Area School District: Fill & Download for Free

Because the island is highly segregated by both race and income.You can look at any map and understand "who" lives where based on town and landmarks such as:North or South of Merrick/Montauk Highway, 25a, or any parkwayEast or West of Nassau/Suffolk border or RiverheadAs an example of this let's look at one of the oldest towns, Amityville:The area south of Merrick rd is 99% white with a household income well over $150k. Houses here start around $450k and go into the $1-2 million range.The area north of Merrick rd but south of the railroad tracks is 90% white but with a household income around $78k with houses typically in the $250-500k range.The area north of the railroad tracks is 99% not white with a household income of around $50k with areas of people living well below the poverty line in trailer parks. Houses here fall into the $100-300k range.It gets a little worse when we look at the school situation.If we look at how many kids come from each area, you will find that it is about even in terms of a 50-50 split north and south of the railroad tracks. But, the majority of the kids south of the railroad tracks are sent to private schools. So what could be a very diverse and healthy school district becomes one where white people represent less than 10% of the public schools population and they are extremely bullied because they are seem as the "rich white kids". This then reinforces the need for the white families to send their children to private schools and not wanting to support the deteriorating school district.This type of divide by race and class is repeated across almost every single town on Long Island where the "rich white people" live closest to the water, have a much higher income range and send their children to private schools to prevent them from interacting with anyone outside their race or class even if they don't want to admit it outright.As you get into the middle of the island, in between the Southern State and Northern State, incomes are generally less than on the shores so you get a much more integrated school experience but the towns and cities are still highly divided by a ratio of income and race. The higher the income the less diverse, the lower the income the more diverse.And then you have an even further divide out east past Riverhead where the farms and wineries are. These towns support a large population of very low income immigrant workers who supply some of the worlds wealthiest with their farm fresh produce and wines as they drive past them to their Hamptons/Amagansett million dollar mansions.Long Island could be a global case study of how people could come together for the benefit of the community if they just worked together instead we have a divide that continues to grow as the public school districts get worse, the cost of living gets higher and jobs continue to leave.

Michael David Cobb Bowen's answer is accurate but perhaps not totally appropriate. Even with the same facts, the answer might be different.In Michael's answer there was a key phrase that drives my answer in a different direction: "...Atlanta is where you go when you cannot get past Director or Division Vice President in NYC...".Reality is that way less than 1% of the working population is going to get a 'C' level job in a big company or become a large scale entrepreneur. 99% of us are going to have careers that peak below the top. That's the reality.If you think that your background, work ethic, risk profile and 'smarts' are going to put you in the 1%....go for it. In this case, go to New York or Silicon Valley.If you are in the other 99%, Atlanta is a great place to have a career. With most of the attributes above, careers with compensation in the $150,000 to $600,000 range is very achievable. $150,000 in Atlanta is like $300,000 in the New York metro area. $600,000 is more like $2,000,0000 in the valley.Housing & Schools:$300,000 gets you a nice home in East Cobb in a very good school district. $300,000 in the New York area get's you something old, small, in need of work and in a poor school district. And your taxes are $10,000 a year instead of $2,800. Mt Bethel/Dickerson/Walton is a better school path than the best schools in the northeast. And these types of combinations can be found easily north of 285 (see Gwinnett Duncan Creek/Osborne/Mill Creek). The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology is one of the highest rated schools in the country ( Best High Schools Rankings ).A $1,0000,000 home OTP in Atlanta would be comparable to something in the $5,000,000 class in the valley (if you could find one). Atlanta private schools are many and quite good. Getting into Woodward might be tough (but very possible), many others are very accessible and at less than $30,000 per year are very affordable when compared to west coast and northeast alternatives. The campuses are outstanding and the college acceptances are top tier.Atlanta is not Iowa (sorry if I offended). It has top companies and solid universities. It has a huge number of businesses that are niche world class or technology based or financial services based. Good talent in Atlanta will go further than in Boston or New York or San Francisco. (Great talent should go strait to Google or Goldman.)Atlanta is a great quality of life town beyond jobs, housing, education and cost of living. Living in New York, sports tickets were hard to get and expensive...even for the 'cheap' seats. In Atlanta, the best seats are available and often free...someone or some company has season tickets they are not using. Ditto for restaurants, shows and concerts. The facilities/venues are first class and there just isn't that much competition for tickets or reservations. As bad as roads are, they are better that the east or west coast alternatives. And we have ATL....get anywhere quickly and cheaply (including the trip to the airport)! Nice climate (no, not as good as CA), visually pleasant and an absence of stupid laws/regulations. Just try to open a business in New York or California.I know a Boston native with an MBA from a non ivy and a solid business undergraduate degree. In Boston, he competed with grads from Harvard, MIT, and every other ivy school in the Northeast. A lot of top tier grads all vying for the top jobs...very hard for a 'second tier' degree holder to even get into the system. He 'accidentally' ended up in Atlanta and found access to good jobs easier and upward mobility more merit based. He also found the 'nosy neighbors' that Michael described to be great for networking.It is very fair to say that Atlanta is not a good town for startups. If you are in the middle or end of your career and startups are important...Atlanta probably isn't right. But I do like the trend....it might be another story in 10 years. If I were starting my career and if I wanted to be in a future IPO, Atlanta might be worth a look.There is no right answer but I'd submit that for the vast majority Atlanta deserves real consideration. Be real about your abilities and desires.I'm originally from the NE and have spent considerable time over the years in Silicon Valley. I've had senior positions in the largest companies and have worked for many years in midtown Manhattan (30 Rock). I've started businesses including an enterprise s/w company. My children live in Atlanta metro. My grand kids go to big public schools, tiny public systems and private schools. My children live well and my grand kids are growing up safe, healthy and learning a lot. Atlanta is a great place to work and to live. Atlanta is better that the big names for the 99%.I could live anywhere...I choose Atlanta.

It sounds like you’re planning to move to NYC. Welcome!First, I assume you’re interested in all of NYC, and not just Manhattan.The best neighborhood for a family with children is Battery Park City (BPC), including parts of TriBeCa. These are adjacent neighborhoods on the lower west side of Manhattan. BPC is a planned community, built on landfill created from the foundation of the World Trade Center site a half century ago (16 acres of dirt!). At least 1/3 of the land is mandated to be parks/playgrounds. A quasi-governmental agency maintains the green areas so it is always beautiful. Families travel from around NYC (and even New Jersey) to use the playgrounds. The agency also cultivates a calendar of events including arts and crafts for children and adults, sunset and weekend music activities, concerts, etc. Moreover, BPC and TriBeCa have some of the best public elementary schools in NYC. For parents, the Financial District/Wall Street is right next door for an ideal commute. For celebrity gawkers, TriBeCa is home to many beautiful people in show business and sports.Prospect Heights and Park Slope, two adjacent neighborhoods in Brooklyn, are great for families. They’re out of Manhattan so the streets are quieter. They run along hte north and west borders of Prospect Park, for easy access to playgrounds and the Prospect Park Zoo. The central Brooklyn Public Library is on the northwest corner of the park. The famous Botanical Garden and Brooklyn Museum also sit on the park’s northern edge. Many concerts and outdoor activities are planned in the park, particularly in the summer. Both neighborhoods have thriving young families and Park Slope is in a fairly strong school district.Kips Bay (also in Manhattan) is another fine neighborhood to raise children. It’s quieter with older, larger apartments. It’s close to the NYU Hospital complex for easy access to world-class medical care. It’s also a shorter commute to Midtown for working parents.The Financial District (FiDi), which is east of Battery Park City, is becoming a popular place to raise families. The apartments in FiDi are large with high ceilings. They’ve been converted from commercial buildings. Because it’s a newer residential neighborhood, the local schools are also newer, with more innovative teaching philosophies. It has easy access to all the major subway lines for commuters. A Whole Foods is preparing to open. One huge drawback is affordability. A two bedroom apartment will run around $2.5 million to buy or $5000+ a month to rent.Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, and Boerum Hill - adjacent neighborhoods in Brooklyn north and west of Prospect Heights, has wonderful old houses and apartments that are great for raising families. The new Brooklyn Bridge Park on the waterfront is great for year round activities. The famous “Jane’s Carousel” is in the park. The neighborhoods are very close to BAM and Barclays Center for sports and cultural events. Subways are close by. And the waterfront is right there.The Upper East Side and Upper West Side of Manhattan have long been traditionally family neighborhoods. The public schools are great, and the amenities (parks, museums, playgrounds, etc.) are geared towards children. Every walk to the grocery store is an encounter with a dozen baby strollers. Also, many exclusive private schools are found in the UES and UWS.Without the kids (or if your children are prepared to commute to school), other fun neighborhoods to consider are Nolita (home to many beautiful people), DUMBO (still a growing neighborhood, with a burgeoning tech industry and many cultural venues looking to locate there), SoHo (access to trendy restaurants and shops, with historic cobble stoned streets), Greenwich Village (it’s “The Village!” ‘Nuf said), and Williamsburg (for hipsters who like good food).The best schools in NYC … Elementary school? Middle school, High school? Private or public? I assume you’re looking for public high schools, so here goes. NYC gives families “choice” for public high schools. You apply in 8th grade, the last year of middle school, in a process akin to the U.S. medical student/medical school matching system. The top public high schools are selected via a test. They include Stuyvesant High School (in BPC, Manhattan), the Bronx High School of Science, and Brooklyn Technical High School. Outside of test schools, the good high schools include the High School of American Studies at Lehman College (northern Bronx), High School for Math Science and Engineering at CCNY (upper Manhattan), Staten Island Technical High School, Townsend Harris High School (in Queens), New Explorations Into Science, Tech and Math High School (also known as NEST in Lower East Side in Manhattan). There are also performing arts high schools that allow students to earn a high school degree while training for a career in dance, singing, musical instruments, acting, photography, visual arts, etc. One of the best is LaGuardia High School, which boasts famous alumni including Jennifer Aniston, Ellen Barkin, Steven Bochco, Adrien Brody, Sarah Michelle Geller, Erica Jong, Nicki Minaj, Liza Minnelli, Isaac Mizrahi, Freddie Prinz, to name a few. Be forewarned: the high school admission process in NYC is more insane than the college admission process. And all the performing arts schools have an audition process. Be prepared to treat it as a part-time job.One more note, NEST is a K-12 school. You may apply to be admitted in kindergarten, middle school and high school. There are not many K-12 schools in NYCFor elementary schools, NYC offers many TAG (talented and gifted) schools, which must be applied for when the children are four years old for kindergarten admission. You may apply in other grades, but it’s much harder as the process is designed for admission in kindergarten. And I’d be remiss in not mentioning the Anderson School (a K-8 school in Manhattan’s Upper West Side) and the Mark Twain School (a middle school in Brooklyn). Their students consistently earn the highest marks in standardized exams.NYC has a number of very good dual language schools, some with selective admissions. Students consistent do very well. Some of these include the PS 133 French Dual Language Program (in Gowanus, Brooklyn), the Amistad School (in Inwood, Manhattan), Shuang Wen School (in Lower East Side, Manhattan), and the Emily Dickinson School (in Upper West Side, Manhattan).Sorry this is so long. I hope you find it helpful! And good luck with your relocation.