Anonymous
03/25/2026 11:29
Subject: Nassau Privates
Yes, the Locust Valley/Oyster Bay Area. You can get 4 acres + for the same price as a 10,000 sq ft lot in Manhasset and a lot of people prioritize that country feeling.
But my friend there lives in Garden City and sends kids to GV. They are a 2x Goldman Sachs family so they just have money to burn and are aiming for a top boarding school and GV is the feeder elementary in the area for that
I would also say people are getting larger properties in the Huntington area and driving over bc the Huntington school district isn't as highly regarded as neighboring districts
But my friend there lives in Garden City and sends kids to GV. They are a 2x Goldman Sachs family so they just have money to burn and are aiming for a top boarding school and GV is the feeder elementary in the area for that
I would also say people are getting larger properties in the Huntington area and driving over bc the Huntington school district isn't as highly regarded as neighboring districts
Anonymous
03/25/2026 10:51
Subject: Nassau Privates
Anonymous wrote:Hey, I have friends at Green Vale and while it isn't as difficult as NYC to get a kindergarten spot- it is pretty academic. A lot of kids go onto boarding school (like a third of the class) and Deerfield/Hotchkiss are popular
Friends Academy is the big day school they send to (as well as Chaminade for boys) Portledge is not academically competitive but parents likely just prefer it bc Oyster Bay High is diverse or something
The person saying people pay more for top publics is true...for a Manhasset or Cold Spring Harbor. But the home mark up in these districts is so high that a lot would not find it worth it v. private
And you can get a lot more land for your money outside of these districts as well. It's a values thing, I don't know. I would rather have a nicer house than live in a tiny box in Manhasset
Thank you for this information. When you say towns with more land, do you mean Locust Valley or where exactly? This is my calculus. I’m very familiar with the publics in the area and underwhelmed. Given the property taxes you pay for these districts, there isn’t much value there.
Anonymous
03/25/2026 10:49
Subject: Nassau Privates
Hey, I have friends at Green Vale and while it isn't as difficult as NYC to get a kindergarten spot- it is pretty academic. A lot of kids go onto boarding school (like a third of the class) and Deerfield/Hotchkiss are popular
Friends Academy is the big day school they send to (as well as Chaminade for boys) Portledge is not academically competitive but parents likely just prefer it bc Oyster Bay High is diverse or something
The person saying people pay more for top publics is true...for a Manhasset or Cold Spring Harbor. But the home mark up in these districts is so high that a lot would not find it worth it v. private
And you can get a lot more land for your money outside of these districts as well. It's a values thing, I don't know. I would rather have a nicer house than live in a tiny box in Manhasset
Friends Academy is the big day school they send to (as well as Chaminade for boys) Portledge is not academically competitive but parents likely just prefer it bc Oyster Bay High is diverse or something
The person saying people pay more for top publics is true...for a Manhasset or Cold Spring Harbor. But the home mark up in these districts is so high that a lot would not find it worth it v. private
And you can get a lot more land for your money outside of these districts as well. It's a values thing, I don't know. I would rather have a nicer house than live in a tiny box in Manhasset
Anonymous
03/24/2026 09:03
Subject: Nassau Privates
Anonymous wrote:Why do you want to send your kid there? I am no longer in Nassau but unless things have changed radically, none of these have ever been competitive admits. The area is a little distinct in that people who could pay private also move to the towns that have great publics so the private situation (some exceptions!) tends a little more towards the "couldn't hack it!" Than in other parts of the country. It's not.particularly "prestigious" to send your kid to any of them. That does change in MS/HS when some will go to top tier in NYC or (more broadly) top boarding schools, but again (and no one has responded to this at all and maybe this is dated...) the idea of competing admissions for a kindergartnet at...Portledge is...hilarious.
Fifth generation Nassau resident, things have changed dramatically
Anonymous
03/24/2026 01:27
Subject: Nassau Privates
Why do you want to send your kid there? I am no longer in Nassau but unless things have changed radically, none of these have ever been competitive admits. The area is a little distinct in that people who could pay private also move to the towns that have great publics so the private situation (some exceptions!) tends a little more towards the "couldn't hack it!" Than in other parts of the country. It's not.particularly "prestigious" to send your kid to any of them. That does change in MS/HS when some will go to top tier in NYC or (more broadly) top boarding schools, but again (and no one has responded to this at all and maybe this is dated...) the idea of competing admissions for a kindergartnet at...Portledge is...hilarious.
Anonymous
03/12/2026 09:44
Subject: Nassau Privates
Can someone please describe any differences between green vale, friends, and portledge beyond what’s publicly researchable? Are they hard to get into for nursery-K?