The Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District has seen major gains in school ranking platforms in recent years. Superintendent Francesco Ianni said rankings on both Niche and GreatSchools have climbed significantly since he took over the district in January 2021.
In a question and answer interview, Ianni discussed what the changes mean for students, staff and the broader community.
Q: Which rankings improved for the district?
A: According to Ianni, the district saw substantial gains on GreatSchools, a platform commonly used by families researching communities and homebuyers browsing sites such as Zillow.
“The middle school went up from six out of 10 to 10 out of 10,” Ianni said. “The high school went from a four out of 10 to an eight out of 10.”
He added that the high school’s college readiness subcategory also rose to a nine out of 10 rating.
The district also climbed in Niche rankings, where Oyster Bay-East Norwich is now ranked among the top school districts in New York.
Q: What factors contributed to the higher ratings?
A: Ianni said improvements in graduation rates, college applications and Advanced Placement exam scores all played major roles.
“When you look at the graduation rate, everyone went up from an 89 percent all the way to 100 percent in 2024,” he said, “and then has been hovering around 95-98 percent,” he said.
The percentage of students applying to four year colleges also increased significantly, from 82 to 96 percent.
The district also saw gains in AP exam performance. According to Ianni, the percentage of students scoring a three or higher on AP exams rose from 62 to 84 percent.
“So we have students leaving the high school and attending college,” Ianni said, “and they almost skip the first year (of college).”
Ianni also pointed to increased participation in state assessments and achievements in science research programs, including Oyster Bay High School student Kristin Thomas qualifying for the International Science and Engineering Fair in Arizona after placing first in the New York State Science and Engineering Fair.
Q: How do stronger school rankings affect the community?
A: Ianni said strong schools help attract young families and can influence local property values.
“When you have a good school community where you know the there is a responsible kind of approach to the tax levy that you know is not super expensive,” he said, “young parents moving in, they feel comfortable that they could send their kids to a public school.”
He said families often use sites such as GreatSchools and Niche as indicators when deciding where to buy homes.
“Those are some of the indicators that families will look because they want to send their kids to a good place,” Ianni said.
According to district figures cited by Ianni, Oyster Bay home values increased by 27 percent over the past year, compared with an average 6 percent increase countywide in Nassau County.
