Valley Stream South High School, Valley Stream NY

Original Research by School Decision on Valley Stream South High School

Valley Stream South High School is a middle and high school serving grades seven through twelve in a diverse South Shore suburb, part of the Valley Stream Central High School District. The school sits in a village with a lively mix of residential neighborhoods and commercial corridors, home to a substantial park system and an LIRR station serving the broader metro area.

The enrollment is diverse. About two-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The racial and ethnic makeup reflects the changing South Shore: Asian students make up roughly a quarter of the enrollment, Black students another quarter, Hispanic students nearly a third, and white students about an eighth. The student body spans just over one thousand students across six grade levels, with roughly balanced cohorts through the high school grades.

In state testing across the seventh and eighth grades, proficiency rates sit in the solid middle ground. Seventh-grade math shows better performance, with a majority meeting the state standard, while eighth-grade math dips somewhat. English language arts tracks similarly, with seventh grade outperforming eighth. Science shows the softest results, sitting notably below the other subjects. Across Nassau County districts in the comparison set, Valley Stream South's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint, a respectable position. State testing data for the high school grades was not available, so families should contact the school directly about Regents exam results and advanced coursework outcomes.

The district is investing in real vocational pathways. Central High School has built out five two-year Career and Technical Education programs open to juniors and seniors across all three district high schools, including construction trades, medical assisting, nurse assisting, and barbering. These programs lead to industry credentials and direct employment options, not just academic credentials. That infrastructure sits at Central, but South students can access it.

The housing market in Valley Stream reflects the strength of Long Island real estate. Home values have grown steadily and rents are at moderate levels relative to national benchmarks, though both exceed state norms. The village itself is pursuing transit-oriented development near its downtown and LIRR station, with projects completed over the past decade adding mixed-income housing. This is a neighborhood where most families own homes, with strong neighborhood-school ties typical of close-in suburbs.

The school's immediate demographic context is worth weighing. Nearly forty percent of students receive lunch support, a marker of economic strain in a community that also sends many working-age adults into health care, retail, and education sectors. The village sits roughly twenty miles from Manhattan, close enough for commuter access but firmly suburban in character.

Special education enrollment data and English learner data were not reported, so a parent should ask the school directly about how it identifies and serves these students. The school does not report discipline data or attendance metrics, another area worth asking about in a school visit. For a family considering Valley Stream South, the key questions turn on the fit of a diverse, working and middle-income suburban setting, the value of CTE programs for students aiming toward skilled trades, and whether the school's academic supports meet their child's needs in middle grades where proficiency rates show room for growth.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

98.0%Cohort of 202 students · Class of 2021

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,253 schools plotted. 14 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Advanced Placement & IB

24 subjects offered · 2023-24

Each card is one AP or IB subject. The headline number is the share of students scoring 3 or higher on the exam — the threshold for college credit at most universities. The bar below each rate shows the underlying distribution across performance levels.

Score:12· no credit345· extremely well qualified

Math and Computer Science

Calculus AB

21 tested

66.7%

scored 3 or higher

Calculus BC

16 tested

81.3%

scored 3 or higher

Computer Science A

2 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Precalculus

49 tested · Grade 10

85.7%

scored 3 or higher

Statistics

14 tested · Grade 10

57.1%

scored 3 or higher

Sciences

Biology

27 tested

70.4%

scored 3 or higher

Chemistry

2 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Environmental Science

14 tested

85.7%

scored 3 or higher

Physics 1

31 tested

61.3%

scored 3 or higher

English

Research

19 tested

94.7%

scored 3 or higher

Seminar

34 tested · Grade 10

100.0%

scored 3 or higher

History and Social Sciences

European History

23 tested · Grade 10

52.2%

scored 3 or higher

Human Geography

30 tested · Grade 9, Grade 10

73.3%

scored 3 or higher

Psychology

18 tested · Grade 10

33.3%

scored 3 or higher

U.S. History

60 tested · Grade 10

86.7%

scored 3 or higher

World Languages and Cultures

Spanish Language and Culture

44 tested · Grade 10

84.1%

scored 3 or higher

Spanish Literature and Culture

18 tested

38.9%

scored 3 or higher

Arts

Studio Art Drawing

5 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Other

Language and Comp

62 tested

72.6%

scored 3 or higher

Literature and Comp

43 tested

83.7%

scored 3 or higher

Studio Art 2d Design

4 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Studio Art 3d Design

1 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

U S Government and Politics

55 tested

83.6%

scored 3 or higher

World History

70 tested · Grade 10

77.1%

scored 3 or higher

New York Regents Exams

4 courses reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Ela	216	96.0%
Social Studies	215	90.0%
Science	188	73.0%
Math	5	20.0%

Math

Grade 779%

School 79% · District 63% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 53% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 772%

School 72% · District 57% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 58% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Science

Grade 857%

School 57% · District 42% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

This schoolVALLEY STREAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 7Lower-income64%Higher-income76%12 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income57%Higher-income72%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income64%Higher-income86%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income57%Higher-income76%19 pp gap