Back to School on Long Island 2026: Tips to Get the Kids Ready + Long Island's Top High Schools
It happens every year. We wait all winter for summer on Long Island, and then somehow it's over before we know it.
The kids have spent the last couple of months at camp, at the beach, swimming in the pool, playing sports, going on family vacations and staying up way later than they probably should. Then all of a sudden, September is right around the corner and it's time to get back to reality.
School. Homework. Early mornings. Practices. Games. Studying. And a schedule again.
That transition isn't always easy.
Going from a summer filled with camps and fun back to sitting in a classroom for most of the day is a pretty big adjustment for a kid. And, let's be real, it's an adjustment for the parents too.
The good news is that there are some things you can start doing now to make that first week of school a whole lot easier.
So, with another Long Island school year almost here, we put together some of our favorite ways to get the kids — and the rest of the family — ready to go back to school.
Don't Wait Until the Night Before to Fix Their Sleep Schedule
This is probably the big one.
If bedtime has slowly gone from 9:00 to 10:00... to 11:00... and maybe even later, you're definitely not alone.
That's summer.
But trying to go from staying up late and sleeping in to suddenly waking up at 6:30 in the morning is going to be rough.
About a week or two before school, start bringing bedtime back little by little. Even moving it up 15 minutes every night or two can help.
Do the same thing in the morning.
If they've been sleeping until 9:00 or 10:00, start waking them up a little earlier each day.
By the time that first school morning comes around, the alarm shouldn't feel like quite as much of a shock.
And this isn't just about avoiding a cranky kid at the breakfast table. Sleep plays a major role in concentration, memory, learning, mood and energy throughout the school day.
Get the Morning Routine Going Again
Anyone with kids knows how quickly a school morning can go off the rails.
"Where's my backpack?"
"I can't find my other shoe."
"My Chromebook isn't charged."
"I forgot I need my soccer stuff today."
Meanwhile, the bus is coming in five minutes.
One of the easiest ways to make mornings less stressful is to do as much as possible the night before.
Have the backpacks packed. Charge the devices. Pick out clothes. Put the cleats, instruments or sports bags by the door.
If your house has the space, create one area near the door where all of the school stuff goes.
Backpacks. Shoes. Jackets. Sports bags. Water bottles.
It sounds simple, but eliminating the morning scavenger hunt can make everyone's day start a little better.
Ease Their Brains Back Into School Mode
Nobody wants to tell their kids that summer vacation is now "study time."
And you really don't have to.
The idea isn't to turn the last few weeks of August into summer school. It's just to start getting their brains used to focusing again.
Try 20 or 30 minutes of reading.
For younger kids, maybe practice some math, spelling or handwriting.
Older kids can read, write, organize their school computer, look through some material from last year or even start thinking about the classes they're taking this year.
A little bit goes a long way.
Going from doing absolutely no schoolwork all summer to six or seven hours in a classroom is a big jump. Getting back into the habit of sitting down and concentrating can make that transition easier.
Set Up a Place for Homework Before the Homework Starts
This is another thing that's easier to do now instead of during the first crazy week of school.
Find a spot in the house that can become the regular homework area.
It doesn't have to look like something out of a magazine.
A desk in their room is great, but so is a quiet corner, a kitchen counter or part of the dining room table.
The important thing is that it's comfortable, relatively distraction-free and has the basics nearby.
Pens. Pencils. Paper. Chargers. Highlighters. Calculator. Whatever they normally need.
Having a regular spot also creates a routine:
When I sit here, it's time to get my work done.
Talk to Them About Going Back
Sometimes we focus so much on buying supplies, getting clothes and figuring out schedules that we forget about this part.
Not every kid is excited about going back to school.
One might be starting kindergarten.
Another is going into middle school.
Someone else is starting high school, worried about making a team, taking harder classes or wondering whether their friends will be in the same lunch period.
Instead of just asking:
"Are you excited for school?"
Try asking:
"What are you most excited about this year?"
"Is there anything you're nervous about?"
"What do you want to do differently this year?"
You might be surprised by what they say.
Sometimes just talking about it takes away some of the anxiety.
Make a Few Goals — But Don't Make Everything About Grades
The start of a new school year feels like a fresh start, and that's a good opportunity to have the kids come up with a couple of goals.
But they don't all have to be about getting straight A's.
Maybe they want to make varsity.
Maybe they want to try out for the school play.
Join a club.
Read more.
Get better at math.
Make a new friend.
Stay more organized.
Stop waiting until 9:30 at night to start their homework.
Whatever it is, let them have some ownership over it.
Write down two or three things they want to accomplish this year and check back on them later.
For Long Island Families, Back to School Usually Means Back to Sports Too
This is a big one around here.
Soccer, football, field hockey, volleyball, cross-country, tennis and other fall sports all start ramping up right around the same time school does.
And that can turn a relaxed summer schedule into a packed calendar pretty quickly.
Before practices and tryouts start, make sure the physicals and paperwork are done.
Then check the equipment.
Do last year's cleats actually still fit?
Kids have a funny way of growing an entire shoe size over the summer.
Check helmets, pads, sticks, uniforms, sneakers, water bottles and everything else before the morning you actually need them.
It's also not a bad idea to start getting active again before practices begin, especially if the summer was more about the pool and beach than running around a field.
Put Everything on One Family Calendar
Once September starts, the calendar gets crazy fast.
School.
Soccer.
Football.
Dance.
Tutoring.
Birthday parties.
Doctor appointments.
Picture Day.
Back-to-School Night.
Parent-teacher conferences.
Half-days.
Days off.
Before you know it, someone has to be in three places at the same time.
Whether you use a calendar hanging in the kitchen or a shared calendar on everyone's phones, put as much as you can in one place.
Then take 10 minutes on Sunday night to look at the week ahead.
It's much better to realize Sunday night that you have three games on Saturday than Friday night.
Don't Overschedule Them Right Away
This can be tough because there are so many great things for kids to do on Long Island.
Travel sports. Dance. Martial arts. Music. Clubs. Extra help. Training.
But remember that going back to school is already a pretty major change from summer.
If every single afternoon and evening is booked from the first week of September, kids can get burned out pretty quickly.
Leave them some time to come home.
Eat.
Relax.
Do their homework.
Play outside.
Or honestly, just do nothing for a little while.
There's plenty of time to add more activities later.
Do the Back-to-School Shopping — But Check the House First
Before heading out and buying everything on the school supply list, take a look around the house.
You may already have 47 pencils, six unopened notebooks and enough highlighters to get through college.
Clean out the backpacks and desks from last year and see what's actually reusable.
It's also a good time to go through clothes and shoes.
September on Long Island is funny. One day it feels like July and a few weeks later everyone is looking for a sweatshirt.
Make sure they have a little bit of everything ready to go.
And Don't Forget to Enjoy What's Left of Summer
This might actually be the most important part.
Getting ready for school doesn't mean summer has to end two weeks early.
Go to the beach.
Jump in the pool.
Get ice cream.
Take the boat out.
Have another barbecue.
Stay outside until it gets dark.
That's what summer on Long Island is all about.
The goal isn't to suddenly turn August into September.
It's just to slowly bring back enough of a routine that the first day of school doesn't feel like getting hit by a truck.
Enjoy those last summer nights.
They go fast.
Long Island's Top High Schools for 2026–27
Since we're talking about going back to school on Long Island, this year's timing couldn't be better.
The latest U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings for 2026–27 were just released, and Long Island had a pretty impressive showing.
The rankings evaluated nearly 18,000 public high schools across the country, looking at areas including college readiness, state assessment performance, graduation rates, curriculum breadth and the performance of underserved students.
Between Nassau and Suffolk counties, 22 Long Island high schools ranked among the top 100 in New York State.
That's pretty impressive.
Suffolk County's Top 20 High Schools for 2026–27
According to the newly released U.S. News rankings, these are the highest-ranked public high schools in Suffolk County, with their New York State ranking in parentheses:
- Commack High School — #12 in New York
- Pierson Middle/High School, Sag Harbor — #13
- Hauppauge High School — #15
- Northport Senior High School — #18
- West Islip Senior High School — #28
- Bay Shore Senior High School — #38
- Half Hollow Hills High School West, Dix Hills — #74
- Harborfields High School, Greenlawn — #77
- Cold Spring Harbor High School — #79
- Half Hollow Hills High School East, Dix Hills — #116
- Babylon Junior-Senior High School — #174
- Mount Sinai High School — #175
- Ward Melville Senior High School, East Setauket — #179
- Sayville High School, West Sayville — #207
- Mattituck Junior-Senior High School — #221
- Elwood/John Glenn High School — #249
- Smithtown High School West — #293
- Connetquot High School, Bohemia — #296
- Port Jefferson High School — #305
- Kings Park High School — #322
One of the biggest local stories this year is Commack High School taking the #1 spot in Suffolk County and ranking #12 in all of New York State.
Nine Suffolk County high schools made New York's top 100.
Nassau County's Top 20 High Schools for 2026–27
Nassau County had an equally impressive showing in this year's rankings, with 13 high schools making New York State's top 100.
According to the latest U.S. News rankings, the top 20 Nassau County high schools are:
- South Side High School, Rockville Centre
- North Shore Senior High School, Glen Head
- Garden City High School
- Great Neck South High School
- Jericho Senior High School
- Manhasset Secondary School
- Wheatley School, Old Westbury
- Syosset Senior High School
- Herricks High School
- Roslyn High School
- Plainview-Old Bethpage/JFK High School
- Great Neck North High School
- Bethpage Senior High School
- Oceanside High School
- Wantagh Senior High School
- Calhoun High School, Merrick
- East Meadow High School
- Lynbrook Senior High School
- Massapequa High School
- Mepham High School, Bellmore
Together, Nassau and Suffolk counties placed 22 public high schools among New York State's top 100 this year.
School Rankings Are Helpful — But They Aren't Everything
We think this is important to mention, especially because we're in real estate and talk to families about Long Island communities all the time.
A ranking is one piece of information.
It isn't the whole story.
Every child is different.
One family may care about AP and college-level courses. Another might be looking for an incredible special education program. Another has a child who's serious about athletics, music, art or theater.
Class sizes, programs, extracurricular activities, athletics, transportation, teachers and simply whether your child feels comfortable there all matter.
So use rankings as a starting point, but always do your own research into the individual school and district.
Long Island is fortunate to have a lot of great schools and communities on both sides of the Nassau-Suffolk line.
Here's to Another Great School Year on Long Island
Going back to school is always a little bittersweet.
Summer went way too fast — as usual.
But there's also something exciting about September.
It's a fresh start.
New teachers. New teammates. New friends. New challenges.
And probably a few mornings where somebody misses the bus.
That's part of it too.
If you start getting the kids back into a routine now, the transition doesn't have to be quite so rough.
Bring bedtime back gradually. Get organized. Talk to them about the year ahead. Get the sports equipment ready. Set a few goals.
But don't rush the end of summer either.
We still have a few good Long Island summer nights left.
Enjoy them.
Good luck to all of our Long Island students, parents, teachers, coaches and school staff heading into the 2026–27 school year!
