Syosset High School in Syosset, Long, Island, NY ranks as one of the best academic high schools in the country and it has produced a great many All-Long Island athletes. In the presentation, Syosset HS alum Matt Kupec provides an analysis and submits that Syosset is indeed the best high school in Nassau County

2. Matt Kupec: Is Syosset High School the Best on
Long Island?
Background & Thoughts
 Last October I wrote a column thanking my Syosset High
School coaches who dedicated their careers to
influencing young people for life through the power of
coaching. I received considerable feedback from so
many former athletes of Syosset High School who also
shared a great appreciation for the efforts of the Syosset
coaches.
 As a follow-up, I thought we’d take a look at the
impressive success of Syosset High School athletes over
the years who in many instances were guided and
taught by these great coaches. We look at the success
through the lens of those Syosset athletes and those
who were recognized as Newsday All-Long Island
athletes. And we look at the success of Syosset athletes
as compared to their peers at all Long Island high
schools.
 I recently penned a blog post commending Syosset High School for
its #11 ranking among all Long Island high schools (public and
private) for the number of All-Long Island athletes it has produced.
ttps://medium.com/@mattkupec/matt-kupec-syosset-high-school-
ranks-11th-in-producing-all-long-island-athletes-e5877007d2f3
 In that post, I also mentioned how impressive this ranking is
particularly considering Syosset High School’s high academic
standing.
 The post generated a lot of interest and feedback which caused me
to pose this question – is Syosset High School the best high
school in Nassau County?

3.  Of course, an answer to that question depends on the criteria one chooses to use in
evaluating the “best” high school. In this post, I chose to use two public pieces of
information – annual academic ratings of High Schools (Niche.com and US News & World
Report) and the listing of all the All-Long Island athletes selected (Newsday) – to develop
a “best high school” formula.
 The best high school, in my opinion, is one that combines a rich academic experience
which includes a healthy offering of curricular and extra-extracurricular activities. As the
great education philosopher John Dewey stated that “every blade of grass on a campus
contributes to the quality of education” about the importance of all factors inside and
outside the classroom leading to a quality education.
 With Dewey’s writings in mind, we will take the two aforementioned sources of
information to develop a list of Nassau County’s finest high schools.
Matt Kupec: Is Syosset High School the Best on Long
Island?
Background & Thoughts: Some Criteria for Choosing the Best High School

4.  One could make a case for other aspects of the high school experience that contribute to
the quality of education and making it the best.
 Take participation in the arts, theater and journalism. I found no rankings of these
important areas but Syosset’s impressive list of highly acclaimed and successful alumni in
these fields make a compelling case for Syosset. Think Natalie Portman. Think Judd
Apatow. Think Michael Isikoff. Think Leonard Shapiro. These are but a few of the long
impressive list of Syosset alumni who have become giants in their respective professions.
 The foundation of academic excellence is in the quality of teaching and support from
faculty and administrators. The strength of the faculty leads to students gaining that rich,
challenging and rewarding academic experience. No rankings exist to rate the faculty but
I submit that Syosset had as talented and dedicated a core of teachers as any high school.
Matt Kupec: Is Syosset High School the Best on Long
Island?
Background & Thoughts: Some Criteria for Choosing the Best High School

5.  And, finally, the quality of administrative leadership at the High School level plays an
critical role in creating a culture of excellence.
 My siblings and I know first-hand as our Dad – Bill Kupec – served as a revered and
beloved principal at Syosset High School for many years. What a talented, dedicated and
decent leader our dad was. There were many comments to my last blog but this one from
Leonard Shapiro, Syosset alum and former “Washington Post” sports editor really meant a
great deal, “Matt’s Dad was the all world principal at Syosset High School when I
graduated in 1964.”
 Thank you, Leonard. And thank you for all the great leaders Syosset has had.
 But for this blog post, we will stick with High School Rankings and Most All-Long Island
athletes produced to analyze the Long Island high schools. We’ll make a case for Syosset
as Long Island’s finest high school and look forward to hearing feedback supporting the
case or perhaps offering compelling reasons for another high school to warrant claim as
Nassau County’s finest.
Matt Kupec: Is Syosset High School the Best on Long
Island?
Background & Thoughts: Some Criteria for Choosing the Best High School

6.  Syosset has high rankings in all three categories - #4th in Long Island athletes
produced, #3rd in Academic ranking (Niche.com poll) and 4th best Long Island High
School in the US News & World report poll.
 Manhasset is aligned closely with Syosset in all three rankings. Syosset’s cumulative
ranking is 12 (#4, #3, #5) while Manhasset trailing closely with a cumulative score of
14 (#5, #4, #5).
 Garden City has the clear advantage in number of All-Long Island athletes produced
and a higher US News & World Report academic ranking than either Syosset or
Manhasset.
 But Garden City falls to #12th in the Niche.com academic ranking and sits with a
cumulative ranking of 15 (#1, #12, #2).
Matt Kupec: Is Syosset High School the Best on
Long Island?
The Case for Syosset High as the Best in Nassau County

7. Matt Kupec: Is Syosset High School the Best on Long Island?
Rankings by Overall Rank & # of All-Long Island Athletes Produced

8. Let’s take a look at the “rankings”:
 The first ranking reports the aggregate number of All-Long Island athletes, as picked by
Newsday, by each high school. Garden City is the clear leader in Nassau County with a
whopping 216 All-Long Island selections. Syosset finishes fourth, just ahead of Manhasset,
but the Braves’ total of 91 All-Long Island athletes pales Garden City’s totals.
 The second category is “Best Nassau County Public High School,’ as compiled by Niche.com., a
Pittsburgh-based company. The 2020 Best Public High Schools ranking is based on rigorous
analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from
the U.S. Department of Education. Ranking factors include state test scores, college readiness,
graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality, and high school ratings. Surprisingly,
Garden City High School is only ranked #12 in the Niche.com ranking, well below Syosset’s 3rd
place standing.
 The third ranking is an Academic Ranking of Nassau County high schools from “US News &
World Report” that has been the gold standard over the years. In this ranking Syosset drops
to 5th place behind both Garden City and Manhasset high schools.
Three schools – Syosset, Garden City and Manhasset – seem to be the clear leaders in the debate
over which high school is the best in Nassau County
Matt Kupec: Is Syosset High School the Best on
Long Island?
Ranking the Best H.S. in Nassau County

9.  Syosset has the largest student population – 2,084 compared to Manhasset’s
1,157 students and Garden City’s 1,115 students.
 Syosset competes in the toughest athletic conference -Conference I with
schools that have the largest student enrollments in Nassau County.
 Garden City and Manhasset compete in the next level - Conference II - with
smaller sized schools.
 Not to take away the great accomplishments of the 300 combined All-Long
Island selections by these two schools but Syosset faces week in and week out
a tougher schedule against schools with much large school population.
Matt Kupec: Is Syosset High School the Best on Long
Island?
Syosset Competes in the Division with the Biggest High Schools

10.  On a very personal note, I remember when I was in 8th grade watching older brother
Chris and the Syosset Braves just tear up Garden City High School in a playoff game his
senior year in high school. At one point in the game, Chris rolled left - and as a right-
hander throwing against the grain - tossed a perfect 60-yard pass in the air for a
touchdown.
 The blow-out left a lasting impression on me that there was no way Garden City could
ever be as good or strong as the Syosset Braves! At least, not in football.
 In fact, four years in my senior year, conference realignment merged the bigger schools
from north and south shores together so Syosset would never face a smaller school like
Garden City or Manhasset squad in the playoffs. Garden City and Manhasset are great
high schools, two of the finest in this country let alone Nassau County.
 But at the end of the day, when considering academic and athletic rankings, it is my
contention that Syosset High School is the best in a county with 53 public high schools
and 1.37 million people. Go Braves!!
Matt Kupec: Is Syosset High School the Best on
Long Island?
Some Personal Background

11.  A proud Syosset High School graduate, Matt was named Newsday All-Long Island
quarterback after the undefeated 1974 Syosset Braves team won the Long Island
Championship game and was ranked #1 in New York State. Kupec was named the winner
of the Thorpe Award. Matt’s older brother Chris was named Newsday All-Long Island
quarterback in 1970 after leading the Braves to the Nassau County title. Both Kupecs
went on to have prolific careers as record-setting quarterbacks at the University of North
Carolina.
 Four other Kupec siblings – Barbara, Liz, Andy and Tom – also attended and enjoyed
successful careers at Syosset High School. Andy was a standout basketball player earning
All-County honors for the Braves. Andy had a record-breaking career as a scholarship
standout at Bentley College and was eventually drafted by the Boston Celtics. Tom was a
highly successful quarterback for the football team and key member of the Braves squad
that captured the Long Island baseball championship. Tom went on to a stellar career as
a record-setting quarterback for LIU/CW Post.
Matt Kupec: Is Syosset High School the Best on
Long Island?
About the Author (mattkupecassociates.com)