How Much It Costs to Live in the Best School Districts Outside New York City

The high costs of living and raising children can very much be a financial burden for parents in New York City. Unless you have the resources to pay for private schools, parents also have to worrying about getting their children into a good school area, or have their children test into the competitive selective high schools.

However, in the suburbs just outside New York City, you will find some of the best public school districts in the country. All you have to do is to live in the school district area, and your kids can enjoy all the great resources those schools offer.

So how much does it really cost to live in those school districts?

According to the newly released 2019 Best Public High School list by niche.com, the #28 best public high school in the entire country is Great Neck High School. Great Neck is located along the Gold Coast of Long Island in Nassau County, which is around a 45 minute drive to downtown New York Manhattan. In addition to great schools, you can enjoy beautiful beach views living there of the Long Island Sound. The beaches there are a bit rocky, but there are many other activities by the water that you can enjoy, including boating and fishing.

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During the 2015-16 school year, the Great Neck School District has ten schools, and a total enrollment of 6,399 students and 585 classroom teachers. There are two high schools in the district. The graduation rate of the year was 100%. In 2018, the median sales price of single family homes in Great Neck School District is $1,215,388.

There are other school districts in Nassau County that make the list. Jericho School District is #34 on the list, along with Syosset School District that are within the top 150. However, both school districts have median sales price of approximately $1 million or higher.

For more affordable homes, many parents may choose to move to Suffolk County instead. Suffolk County is to the East of Nassau County on Long Island, and the commute to Manhattan is one hour or more. But most residents there who need to commute to Manhattan for work can take the train via LIRR, or the Long Island Rail Road, so they do not have to endure sitting in traffic.

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There are some great school districts in Suffolk County to be found. And the median sales price of homes in a good school district is usually cheaper than that of Nassau County. For example, the median sales price of homes for sale at Smithtown School District was approximately $500,000 in 2018.

Long Island is not the only county where New Yorkers choose to move to for better schools. Many parents will move North into Westchester County for some great schools as well. Instead of being close to the water and with water views, Westchester County is closer to lakes and mountains for those who enjoy nature and the countryside.

On the list at #60 is Scarsdale School District, which is located in Southern Westchester County and is well known for its great reputation. The median sales price of single family homes in Scarsdale is around $1.5 million in 2018.

Instead of staying within New York State, many parents would also consider moving to Northern New Jersey for good schools. The commute to New York City requires crossing the Hudson River, but there is the NJ transit train that brings commuter back and forth.

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On the list at #56 is Millburn High School, which is also rated as the best high school in the state of New Jersey.