Point of Woods South Huntington area? Any issues?

[CoffeeMeQuick]

If you're asking for opinions, I'll give my mine: go with Harborfields unless it truly breaks the budget and the cost would undermine your quality of life in other ways. Having a great deal of familiarity with Harborfields (kids in the district) and some with South Huntington (a work colleague and parents of kids on rival sports teams), I would feel comfortable giving that advice. I've not heard any one of my SH contacts say much of anything positive about the district they live in. They complain of lowered academic standards and expectations, some violence (although I didn't understand this to be a huge concern), and a mixed bag when it comes to parental involvement and commitment. In fact, one of my SH acquaintances was counting the days until he could move out because his family was so unhappy there. Is time of the essence or can you wait for a small/not updated house in Harborfields to come on the market? There are some streets like that in Greenlawn by the train station and a few in the older section of Centerport, Mill Dam area. The houses tend to be older, smaller and less fancy in those areas, but the neighborhoods are very solid (safe and well-kept) and definitely zoned for Harborfields. Prices there usually run in the 400s, with some of the nicer houses running in the 500s.

[Elke Mariotti]

Originally Posted by LIGUY2000

Most of the friends and family I've spoken to live in Nassau and are far more familiar with those districts. Plus, the advice friends do give about South Huntington district is to avoid by all means. Which is the reason I came here, to get people that actually live there point of view. Because if you go on Niche, South Huntington has an A+ rating, and on US News they have an 86/100 rating so one would think it is actually a pretty desirable district. But from speaking with people a lot of people seem to have a very negative view of the district.

Here's my suggestion (one I give to all my buyers):

If you're not familiar with the school district(s), or have doubts, or "hear" things from others, some of whom may not even currently live there, call the Superintendent's office.

In So. Huntington, that's Dr. Bennardo, who was recruited from Harborfields, where he was the Principal of the High School - he will make sure all your questions and concerns are addressed and/or answered. He will also arrange for a tour of whatever school you might want to visit, so you can see what's going on for yourself. Only you know what your actual personal concerns are, none of us do. I have had occasion to hear him speak and like his initiative and innovative thinking. And ask him about "Vision 2020" - you might be impressed with some of what they're planning.

Here's a link to the announcement of his transition: Dr. David P. Bennardo to become new Superintendent and another regarding Vision 2020: https://huntingtonnow.com/south-hunt...or-the-future/

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[CoffeeMeQuick]

I remember Dr. Bennardo very well. His time as principal of Harborfields High School is very fondly remembered, and he is missed. I still remember him standing in the pouring rain by the front entrance, welcoming students into the school. He accomplished a great deal and it's no surprise that a struggling district like South Huntington pulled him away. But even Dr. Bennardo is only human, and he can't change demographics. Arguably, he had a lot more to work with at Harborfields. I would consider living in certain parts of South Huntington if I felt the real property investment offered a reasonable prospect of a safe return and I had no child in school. Some areas are quite lovely and appear very safe. Unfortunately, the school district draws from many other neighborhoods. I would never send a child to South Huntington schools.

[librlart]

This post is a few years old, but I'll throw in my two cents worth:
I grew up on Craig Drive. The street is quite different than when we moved there; in the early 1970's all the homes were wooded 1 acre plots, and the "Point of Woods" designation made sense. Many new occupants on the street have cleared their trees/woods, put in manicured lawns or rock gardens, and a couple of "Mac Mansions" have gone up on the street, lending a different character to the neighborhood. The homes were around $19K in 1969; one of the homes on the street just sold for over a million. The property values went up a lot when the tree farm across Old Country Road from Craig Drive was sold and developed, with new (beautiful) homes ~$650K. That was maybe a decade+ ago.

Traffic on Craig Drive has increased significantly. There used to be very little traffic; now there is almost constant traffic on the street, mostly from people who don't seem to live nearby. I think GPS is routing people down the street to avoid the "5 corners" intersection at St. Anthony's High School, which is almost always heavily trafficked. Old Country Road also has completely changed, with drivers racing each other down the street at 60mph past the 25 mph signs at Countrywood Elementary School. There are deer in the woods now too, and raccoons, which were never present in my childhood. I've almost run into the deer on Old Country Road, although I've yet to see an accident due to them.

Walt Whitman High School was a horrific place, as was the now closed Memorial Jr High. The school district brags about being one of the best in the county, but bullying and abuse wasn't commonplace, it was a consistent terror - from students as well as teachers. There was also a lot of racial tension, at times threats of racial fights. The music department was exceptional however, and the only saving grace.

I was fortunate enough to leave for a private school that actually taught students how to learn instead of just to repeat what was needed for the next exam. A good friend there went to Huntington High and reported the same experience. Public schools on Long Island are not so much schools as training prisons, where your kids will be counted and kept out of your hair until the final bell rings. The bullying lawsuit in Smithtown is indicative of the nature of the local schools. I've lived in towns that had school shootings, and it's surprising to me that Whitman hasn't yet. Perhaps that will change with the crazy new state gun laws. But I don't see much hope for the school system until they take bullying seriously.

There never was much for kids to do in the area, after school. That's a pretty pervasive issue throughout the island of course. The mall was the usual hangout for kids, but it's much less teen-friendly than it once was. There are two Jewish cemeteries across Old Country Road from Craig Drive, and they suffered some damage from some local kids who didn't have anything better to do - I think graffiti and maybe knocked over tombstones. Occasionally we'd hear rumors of people digging up graves, but those weren't activities of local kids.

Countrywood Elementary has a nice hill and ball field behind it. It was usually a popular sledding spot in the winter, after school hours.

Having grown up in South Huntington, I'm not a fan of Long Island, but the properties around Craig Drive were and still are pretty nice. Several of the long time residents have aged out or simply moved elsewhere, so there are only a handful of the older neighbors on the street.

Many of my childhood friends lived in what a previous response called "Melville Triangle" - the properties there were smaller and not wooded. Fortunately the many cul de sacs in that area mean less traffic, and less people trying to avoid the St Anthony's bus traffic jams at 5 corners. You're in the same school district though.