The Herricks Board of Education reviewed the previous year’s audit report and student test scores at the Jan. 16 meeting. The district shows a strong financial standing and high performance in testing compared to other districts in the region.
Herricks schools had an “excellent” error rate in its audit report for the previous academic year, according to Shari Diamond, a partner at Cerini & Associates, LLP. The firm provides auditing services for the district and reviews district payments to make sure they align with state and district policies. Diamond said the company provides monthly reports for the district.
“For the 23-24 school year, the district had a .15% error rate, which is phenomenal. That’s phenomenally low out of about 4,700 payments that we reviewed,” Diamond said.
She said the error rate is “excellent compared to other districts.”
Diamond said the firm’s noted incidents were “identified and handled” prior to the audit, which indicates “that the district is taking action to ensure that these are valid payments, even before we take a look at it.”
Diamond said the firm has reviewed district spending in 1,800 payments through November for the current academic year. So far, there have been two flagged issues, one of which was “noted and handled” by the district before the firm’s bimonthly visit.
The other incident was a “minor issue” due to a sales tax that was added onto a payment from a utility company, he said. She said the district is working with the company to rectify the issue.
Diamond said there have not been any noted issues regarding middle and high school extracurricular activities.
The district also showed a strong performance in the New York State Regents exams, as well as Advanced Placement testing, according to Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Elizabeth Guercin.
“Our rankings have really demonstrated how well we are doing compared to our comparative district in the New York State rankings,” Guercin said.
According to last year’s regents exams, Guercin said the district is in the Top 10 schools in Nassau County across all tested subjects. The school ranked no. 2 in the county on the Chemistry exam, she said.
At the elementary level, Herricks students are performing above average compared to the state and county in the ELA and Math exams, which test third- through eighth-graders, Guercin said. The school is performing on par with the school’s 13 comparative districts, which are nearby districts examined alongside Herricks’ students. In all areas, including the state Science exams for fifth- and sixth-grade, the district performed at least 10% higher than the region, Guercin said.
In 2024, students performed above average on every high school regents exam subject. Students performed 10% higher than the regional average in seven of the 10 subjects tested.
Guercin said 87% of students in the Class of 2024 graduated with an Advanced Regents Diploma. These diplomas are given to students who have passed nine state Regents tests.
In 2024, 958 Herricks students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses, taking a total of 2,417 AP tests, Guercin said. Advanced Placement courses are offered to high school students, and students who perform well on the end-of-year AP exams are eligible for college credit. The exams are graded on a scale of 1 through 5, and students with a score of 3 or higher may receive college credit.
She said student participation in AP courses increased by 134 students compared to 2023. Of the 812 students who took an AP exam in 2024, approximately 85% received a 3 or higher.
“Students are engaging in more rigorous work,” she said. “Not only are they doing it, they’re proving to be very successful in taking those assessments.”
The high school also received an AP School Honor Roll designation for its AP programming and participation. Honor roll designations are given to high schools with strong AP programs and college cultures.
Designations range from bronze to silver, gold, and platinum and consider factors such as college-going culture, college credit, and college optimization. The College Board awarded Herricks High School a platinum designation.
“It says to us, as a district, that we’ve really given our students the best opportunities to be successful as they move onto college,” Guercin said.
School board members commented on the district’s high performance on last year’s testing.
“It’s just nice to see the data to support that our students are really just achieving at such high levels,” said school board Trustee Shaheda Quraishi. “It’s just a testament to what an amazing place this is.”
“It really is a testament to the hard work that goes in from the students themselves, and the families that support them, and our staff that help lead them,” said Board President Juleigh Chin.
