Uniondale High School

I am thoroughly pleased! I was moving here from out-of-state with a prejudice against the school built-up from reading (GS) greatschools' (3) city rating (move often so I live off this site) & listening to 'soon-to-be' neighbors who heard from previous neighbors blah blah blah & had never walked through its doors (metal detectors - don't knock it. "All" schools that don't, there's a kid carry'n a weapon). The principle was hurt that I almost didn't take the house I have based on Uniondale school zoning. Learned my lesson in hmwrk (Still love GS) & double checking (get hands on). The principle's awesome (podcast, easily accessible to parents & kids, tough love, family oriented) & the guidance hasn't skip'd a beat yet (trustworthy energizer bunnies). This is our first year, and I can only hope there are many more like it! UHS!!
—Submitted by a parent

Quality of education has improved tremendously within all schools of the district. Some 'dead - weight' teachers and administrators have since retired or moved on. However, all issues within the district is not the fault of the school district. Parents need to be held accountable for the actions of their children. Too many parents have their heads in the sand and live in the 'not my child' world. The districts spends an enormous amount on security, counseling and psychological services. It is a shame as this money could go towards top notch facilties. There has been calls to close the high school - as they run rampant. As the enrollment keeps growing - either 1) another hs has to be built 2) stagger sessions as in NYC schools. We can not let out 1700 students all at the same time.
—Submitted by a parent

Uniondale is one of the safest schools in the North East. Since the inception of their New Security Program the school is safe.
—Submitted by a teacher

The quality of academic programs have improved for the better. Teachers are very professional and committed to educational excellence. The culture of the building has changed. I recently attended parent teacher conferences and was quite pleased. I joined the PTA and will continue to support the school in whatever way that I can. The teachers go the extra mile to make certain that my son is a responsible student.
—Submitted by a parent

Since the institution of a new principal at the H.S., things have changed immensely. Not only has the school provided programs to create a safer school for both students and faculty, but the numerous programs, such as the Science Research Program, have recently brought the school great admiration. Many times the Uniondale H.S.seems to be categorized along with high schools of its neighboring districts;however, there is truly no comparison. The school has had its struggles, but they have truly learned their lessons. Today, gang related incidences in the school had completely disappeared and violence has reached its lowest levels ever. The wonderful administration of the new principal has provided students with greater opportunities for a complete education. From offering more AP courses, and increasing the number of extracurricular activities, the school promises to get better. Whether its in Science Research, sports, music or art, the High School has received recognition.
—Submitted by a student

Teachers and academic program are excellent. some students are getting out of control. extracurricular activities are widely available. parental involvement needs improvement.
—Submitted by a parent

The school has way too many gangs & gang violence & parents must not be doing what they're supposed to at home because 15% of the kids cut throughout the day. Principal should stop it but doesn't. There are a lot of extracurricular activities but if I was an student I would be scared to stay after with all the sgot outs & fight going on after school. So I adviSe all the kids to go straight home after school cause Uniondale high school is not a safe school [at] all.
—Submitted by eva hayes, a teacher

I'm not a parent; however I am a UHS graduate. I am currently a senior at the fifth ranked University in the country and will be entering Law School next fall. I graduated from Uniondale in 2001 - at what I beleive to be the most opportune time. Gang violence, drugs and bi-curious females were becoming too prevelant for my liking; however I do not blame the school, or the administration for the increasing incidence of any of these harms. I blame parents. When children turn to gangs, drugs, etc. it is a result of their inability to see how their eduactional attainment will translate into success in the future; it is a direct result of educational values which are instilled in the home. Parents you can not depend on an institution that has your child for 6hrs a day to take full responsibility over what they become. Do your Job.
—Submitted by B F, a former student

What Uniondale is -is underscored! Uniondale could be a great school but there needs to be more involvement from administration/ and parents/and teachers and students there is no uniting in Uniondale; only division. Parents need to support the teachers and administration needs to listen to the concerns of the teachers and students. Then, Uniondale will be great.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent, I would never send my child here. There is a huge degree of gang violence and the administration does very little to counteract the problems. If the administration were more concerned with keeping the students safe and less concerned with increasing the number of minority staff members, Uniondale might actually be a good school. This school has all the resources it needs and a large budget, but its priorities are in all the wrong places.
—Submitted by a parent

I love UHS. I am a native of Uniondale and I miss UHS. It is a good school despite what you hear about our school. UHS will be a top minority in the state of NY. UHS keep going.
—Submitted by a former student

Uniondale H.S. is said to be a minority school and some also believe that because of this UHS lacks the necessities of a good or even great school. However, as a student at USH I have found that UHS has more than just the potential to be a great school because it is a great school. Some may differ because of our test scores, but UHS has many programs that show the ablity of the students extremly well. Some of the many programs the UHS has are, Science Research, in which Uniondale has been commended on numerous times because of our great achivements in this activity. One of the many achivements was the winning of the Intel Science Comptition. Another of UHS's many activites are the art club, the fashion club, Key Club, National Honoer Society, National Science Honor Society, NAtional Spanish Honor Society, Future Bussiness Leaders of America (FBLA), Drama Club and expecially the many sport teams which also help make UHS famous. UHS also involves parents into many of the activites that occur in the school. The UHS PTA is also a very active group that helps build UHS into an even better school. UHS is truly a wonderful school. It is filled with activies that will help its students develop both mentally, socially, and physically. UHS also has alot of parent involvement, that helps parents better understand what is going on in their childs school. Moreover, UHS's Principal and Adminstrative Group also are wonderful leaders when it come to keeping order of the school, and making sure the children in the school get the best education possible.
—Submitted by a student

School has the potential to be one of the top minority schools in the state, but the parent involvement is very poor. Central administration also gets too tied up with the politics of nepotism and data, and they ignore the needs of the community.
—Submitted by a former student