The Great Neck Public School District is not your average suburban school system on Long Island.
For anyone moving here, choosing Great Neck is less about the houses and lifestyle and more about the town’s fine educational offerings. Our schools are among the crown jewels of the peninsula, commanding a reputation for excellence that has been generations in the making, predictably so. Essentially, that’s a polite way of saying, we’ve been showing off for a really long time. Come for the real estate, stay for the AP exams. #DiscoverGreatness
Before Rankings & Hashtags
GNPS dates back well over 200 years, to 1814, shortly after New York State passed the country’s first laws creating a statewide public school system.
Like many early schoolhouses, Great Neck’s early days were modest —reading, writing, and arithmetic were taught to local farm children in one-room structures. By 1914, more dedicated school buildings were constructed, including the first Great Neck High School.
In the Roaring Twenties and 1930s, as high society moved in from the big city, GNPS built larger facilities to serve the rapidly expanding population, introduced new educational programs, and expanded its curriculum. In 1948, our schools were deemed “excellent,” and a decade later, they had earned a national reputation for being of superb quality. We have since.
Going Down for Real
Interestingly, though, over the 1970s and 1980s, a declining student population led to a marked reduction in the number of operating GNPS elementary schools, down from a whopping 11 in 1954 to only 4 as of 2021 (JFK, Lakeville, Baker, Parkville).
To recap– there was the Fairview Avenue School, which closed in 1869, the First Arrandale School, which closed in 1899, and the Second Arrandale School, which burned down in 1920. The Arrandale School, at the corner of Arrandale Avenue and Middle Neck Road, closed down in 1977, and the Kensington Johnson School, which closed in 1981 and was demolished in 1996 to make way for The Portico, a housing complex.
The Cumberland School of 1951 was closed in 1981, and the Cutter Mill School of 1952 closed in 1978 and was demolished. The Clover Drive School of 1954 later became the Adult Center. The Grace Avenue School of 1954 became the Great Neck Senior Center, and the Cherry Lane School of 1954 closed in 1976.
Humble Brag
Great Neck South High School and Great Neck North High School routinely place among the top high schools in New York State and the nation in U.S. News & World Report. We consistently perform well on state assessments and college-readiness metrics, earning high marks in academics, teacher quality, and college preparation. Individual schools have also been recognized– Lakeville Elementary recently received a National Blue Ribbon award for excellence.
Graduation rates hover in the high 90% range. A significant majority of students take at least one Advanced Placement course, and many take several—sometimes more than they strictly need, but that is a separate conversation.
Each year, our students earn National Merit Semifinalist and Commended Student designations, AP Scholar awards, and a steady stream of college applications and acceptances. College matriculation is broad and predictable in the best way: SUNY flagships, Ivy League schools, highly selective private universities, and competitive liberal arts colleges all appear on the annual GNPS lists.
Guidance counseling here is not about convincing students to apply to college; it is about helping them decide which excellent options make the most sense. STEM programs, in particular, have flourished: advanced robotics competitions, research internships, and dedicated science laboratories give students both the skills and the credentials to stand out in engineering, computer science, and biomedical fields.
Some of our students even publish research while still in high school. None of this is accidental. It reflects long-term curriculum planning, layered academic support, and a faculty with both institutional memory and advanced credentials. It also reflects sustained financial commitment. The tax base has been reliable, intentional, and generous.
Community involvement follows the same patterns. Voters regularly approve capital bonds for building upgrades, STEM labs, science research centers, and instructional technology. PTAs are active and organized, a veritable who’s who in parent circles. Board meetings are attended by people who have read the agenda and are ready to lend their voices during open time. Parents care about their kids efforts and outcomes, teachers and staff pay attention, and it shows.
There is a somewhat customized approach.
Walk into a Great Neck school concert or science fair and you’ll hear multiple languages. Our student body is diverse, with families from more than 40 countries represented, from across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union. Our schools adapted accordingly—more language programs, cultural clubs, from traditional curricula to alternative education models — all designed to meet the varied needs of GNPS students. Pretty, pretty Great!
Famous Alumna
It follows, Great Neck graduates tend to do well. Sometimes very publicly. Billy Crystal, a graduate of Great Neck South High School, often credits his teachers and school community with nurturing his talents. Steve Madden, founder of the global footwear brand, attended Great Neck North High School. As did Steve Cohen, owner of the NY Mets. Below, some other icons you may know:
Sarah Sherman (‘11) , comedian and cast member of ‘Saturday Night Live;’ Danielle Bernstein (‘10) , fashion designer and social media influencer (WeWoreWhat); Francis Ford Coppola, legendary director behind “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now;” Kenneth Cole, fashion designer; Andy Kaufman, comedian and performance artist; and Jon Taffer — TV personality (“Bar Rescue”).
Not too shabby, Great Neck. Some might say we have long discovered greatness, and it is here to stay.
