Despite Nassau County’s student enrollment decline, Syosset and Jericho schools remain two districts that buck that trend, with both districts seeing an approximate 9% increase. On average, the county has recorded a 2.3% decline in student enrollment over the past decade, with some districts like West Hempstead experiencing as much as a 25% drop in enrollment.
Since the 2013-2014 school year, Jericho has enrolled 249 additional students, while Syosset has enrolled 594.
Only 16 of Nassau’s more than 50 public school districts have seen increased student enrollment. Herricks had the highest percentage increase at 10.66%, and North Bellmore had the lowest at 0.19%.
In the 2013-2014 school year, 2,988 students were enrolled in the Jericho school district. Last year Jericho had 3,237 students, showcasing an 8.33% increase.
The district has five buildings, with three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. According to the state, the largest school in the district is the high school, with almost 1,260 students. The smallest is Jeffrey Ratner-Robert Seaman Elementary School with 292.
The district offers a Universal Pre-K program, a full-day program that was launched three years ago, said Denise Nash, a representative for Jericho schools.
The program currently has four classes, with a total of 72 students enrolled, said Assistant Superintendent of Business Affairs Victor Manuel. He said next year the program is projected to have three classes, with a total of 54 students. Pre-school student enrollment is not reflected in the 2023-2024 state data.
Nash said the program is housed in one of the district’s three elementary schools and is rotated between the schools depending on enrollment each year.
Syosset schools enrolled 6,373 students in 2013-2014. District enrollment was steadily declining until the 2015-2016 school year, when enrollment began to grow. In the 2020-2021 academic year, enrollment began to dip, but surged the following year, and continued to increase afterwards.
Last year, the district had 6,967 students, marking a 9.32% increase from 2013-2024. With almost 7,000 students, the Class of 2024 marked the district’s highest enrollment in the past 20 years.
The district has 10 buildings, with seven elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school. According to the state, the largest school in the district is the high school, with 2,265 students. The smallest is A.P. Willits Elementary School with 305.
The district projects an increase in enrollment, peaking at 7,049 students in the Class of 2026, before a subsequent decline. The district said projections may be influenced by the housing market, impacting how many families move in and out of the district.
Both districts have taken measures to accommodate their growing class sizes, including Syosset’s $143.81 million bond, which was passed in October. With the bond’s approval, classroom and learning spaces will be expanded districtwide in addition to building repairs and security improvements.
Syosset elementary schools will receive an additional 17 classrooms, new gymnasiums, and multipurpose rooms. Due to its size and enrollment, the high school will receive the most upgrades, including an additional gymnasium, library, guidance, and robotics space.
The bond “will allow the district to manage its enrollment growth in safe, inviting and accommodating spaces that will serve our students and our community well into the future,” said Superintendent Thomas Rogers.
Although Jericho schools have not received building expansions, Nash said there is room for flexibility in learning spaces. She said classrooms originally designated to “specials,” such as music education, could be turned into classroom space depending on enrollment each year.
By “maneuvering” the space, Nash said the district is “able to accommodate” its growing population.
The two districts defy the trend of Nassau’s enrollment alongside Bethpage, East Meadow, Garden City, Great Neck, Herricks, Hicksville, Malverne, Merrick, Mineola, North Bellmore, Plainview-Old Bethpage, Port Washington, Roslyn, and Valley Stream.
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