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The Roslyn Union Free School District is situated less than 20 miles from midtown Manhattan. The school district covers an area of five square miles and encompasses a group of primarily residential communities on Long Island's north shore, including the historic Village of Roslyn and all or part of East Hills, Flower Hill, Greenvale, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor and Roslyn Heights. The district has five schools: the Heights School, an early childhood center for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and half of the district's first grade students; East Hills School, an elementary school, grades 2 through 5; Harbor Hill School, an elementary school, grades 1 through 5; Roslyn Middle School for grades 6 through 8; and Roslyn High School for grades 9 through 12. Total district enrollment is currently about 3,400 students. A Brief Overview Curriculum development and support services meet or exceed the high standards mandated by the New York State Board of Regents. Elementary class sizes are usually in the low or mid-twenties. Roslyn students consistently score well above county, state and national averages on standardized tests and the College Board exams. Nearly all of Roslyn's high school graduates go on to higher education with 90 percent attending four-year colleges. Professional development programs are offered for all personnel and include in-service education, hands-on workshops, attendance at conferences, Superintendent's Conference Day. The Roslyn Teacher Center, funded by a New York State grant, provides many of these opportunities in partnership with the school district. Professional teaching staff members are frequently recognized with national and state awards for their scholarship and creativity. Support is provided through a wide range of specialists, from math, reading, computer and library experts to school psychologists, nurses, secondary school counselors, special education teachers and paraprofessionals, and social workers. The high school's Research Program is extensive and includes participation in many regional, national and international competitions. For example, Roslyn has had semifinalists in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search in 27 of the last 28 years. Global awareness, human relations and multicultural perspectives are emphasized in all subject areas. Roslyn's extensive vocal, instrumental and dramatic music programs include many performance opportunities. Roslyn's athletic and co-curricular activities programs are comprehensive and a large percentage of the students participate. Roslyn offers prekindergarten and Parent-Child Programs. For very talented students, Roslyn offers gifted programs at the elementary and middle school levels, and nearly 20 Advanced Placement courses at the high school level. Roslyn offers a computer education program from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The award-winning Community Service Program mandates 40 hours of service by all high school students. The average students completes several times the required hours of service. The Adult Continuing Education program attracts more than 2,000 registrants each year.  Many parents and residents who are advocates for a variety of district programs that benefit children provide additional support and funding under the auspices of local organizations, including the parent associations in each of the school buildings, Foundation for the Advancement of Student Technology (F.A.S.T.), Bulldog Boosters, Friends of the Royal Crown Players, Friends of Spotlight, Marching Band Fans, and the East Williston-Roslyn Community Coalition for Drug-Free Youth. Many residents also support the Roslyn High School Scholarship Fund and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Fund which both provide financial assistance to Roslyn students attending college. A Proud History The Roslyn Public Schools has a long and distinguished history. The first school board in Roslyn was elected in the 1860s, and in 1904 the district was designated by the State of New York as a "union free school district", which entitled it to offer a full kindergarten through grade 12 program. The first high school diplomas were awarded in 1907. Since that time, more than 15,000 students have graduated from Roslyn High School. Click here to read more about the early history of the Roslyn schools and the celebration of Roslyn's centennial in 2004. School Report Cards are prepared by the New York State Department of Education to present statistical indicators of student performance for each individual school building in the state. The report does not include every subject area, nor does it report on many aspects of school life which have an enormous impact on students' performance and the quality of their experience in school. For example, participation in athletics, music, art and drama are not measured by the report. Furthermore, we in Roslyn believe that no child's K-12 schooling can be considered complete without "affective education"—which includes such vital areas as values education, multicultural studies and community service—but these items do not appear in the report. The following information provides additional indicators of student achievement. The complete School Report Card data for Roslyn and for all schools in New York can be found on the Web at www.nystart.gov. Elementary Enrichment Programs The Roslyn Public Schools offers many enrichment opportunities, which are not reported in the School Report Card prepared by New York State, for all students. Enrichment programs provide all students in the elementary grades with opportunities for learning experiences which extend beyond the regular classroom curriculum. These include: Great Books Students in grades 1 through 5 are offered this program, which is designed to challenge students to read literature and thereby bring their reading and critical thinking skills to a higher level. All classroom teachers are trained in this proven approach to teaching literature. Originally conceived as a program for gifted students, Great Books provides reading enrichment to all students in these grades. Family Living, Personal Safety and AIDS Education Our district has made a commitment to this vital area of health education. Even before the State Education Department established standards in this area during the 1980s, Roslyn had already instituted its own policy to teach students about the risks of HIV and AIDS. Instruction begins in kindergarten with age-appropriate material and is directed at improving children's ability to handle peer pressure, make well-informed decisions about their health and expand their self-esteem. Curricula are designed so that lessons taught in one year are reinforced in subsequent years. Accelerated Programs Roslyn's accelerated program at the middle school allows students in the eighth grade to complete high school-level courses which become part of their high school record. Art Students in grade 8 may present a portfolio of their art work for consideration of their eligibility for the Accelerated Art program. Students who successfully complete the program earn credit which is equivalent to taking the course in Studio Art at Roslyn High School, enabling them to enroll in more advanced art courses in grade 9. Earth Science Eighth graders who take the accelerated Earth Science course are able to begin a Regents sequence in Science one year earlier than usual for most students in New York State. Of the Roslyn students who take the Earth Science Regents in June, well over half are usually in Grade 8. This acceleration results in unusually large numbers of students taking higher level science courses in the high school grades, as evidenced by the district's very high enrollment in Physics and science research programs. Nearly every eighth-grader taking the test passes, and more than 90 percent typically achieve mastery level (a grade of 85 or higher). Math Approximately half of Roslyn's students begin high school-level math in the eighth grade and thereby are able to complete a Regents sequence in math a year earlier than most other students in New York. Nearly every single one of these youngsters scores at the "mastery" level (85 percent or higher) on the Regents exam. Advanced Placement Program AP Exams Taken in 2007 Biology 66 Calculus AB 69 Calculus BC 20 Chemistry 14 English Language & Composition 22 English Literature 69 Environmental Science 16 European History 70 French Language 6 Government and Politics: US 66 Macroeconomics 64 Physics B 23 Physics C 20 Psychology 30 Spanish Language 28 Statistics 34 Studio Art 9 US History 91 TOTAL EXAMS TAKEN: 715 The Advanced Placement Program exposes high school students to college-level materials through involvement in an AP course and gives them the opportunity to show that they have mastered it by taking an AP examination. Students benefit from taking AP courses by learning a subject in greater depth, developing skills that will be critically important to successful study in college and demonstrating to colleges their willingness to undertake a challenging course. More than 90 percent of the nation's colleges and universities offer credit, placement or both for scores of 3 or better (out of a maximum of 5) on AP exams. The numbers of exams administered in Roslyn High School in May, 2007—715—was an increase of 15 percent over the prior year. (Total high school enrollment last year was 1130.) This demonstrates an extraordinary level of participation by our students in the AP program. Many Roslyn HS Students Are Recognized in the AP Scholars Program   42 Roslyn students received the AP Scholar Award for achieving grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams. 21 students received the AP Scholar with Honor Award for achieving grades of 3.25 or higher on all AP exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. 45 students received the AP Scholar with Distinction Award for achieving grades of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. 3 students received the National AP Scholar Award for achieving an average grade of 4 or higher on all AP exams taken and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams. College Entrance Exams and Post-High School Selections To earn a New York State Regents Diploma, students must complete at least 18.5 credits in Regents-level courses and must also complete two three-year Regents sequences (i.e., passing grades on three Regents exams in two different subjects). The average Roslyn graduate earns many more credits than the State minimum, with some students reaching 30 or more credits. Roslyn High School students continue to be among the leading students in the nation in scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and acceptance to the leading American colleges and universities. Achievement levels on this most widely used college extrance exam, and the disparity between Roslyn students and those in the rest of the state and country, are all the more significant considering the high percentage of students who take the exam every year.