THE SCOOP It’s all about the schools, Syosset residents say. The hamlet within the Town of Oyster Bay has many things going for it — a Long Island Rail Road station, three major thoroughfares, a civically active population, proximity to two major parks — but for decades, homebuyers have flocked to Syosset for the educational opportunities.
“We came here for the schools,” affirmed Oyster Bay Councilmember Andrew A. Monteleone, a longtime Syosset citizen. “We have a great school board that really listens to the families, and the families are very involved, too. It’s a really tight community. And you see that also in the sports programs, the Little League, soccer, things like that.”
Russell Green, president of the Syosset-Woodbury Chamber of Commerce, said this figured into his family moving to the hamlet’s school district in 1999. “We had a 3-year-old who we wanted to go into a good school system on the Island,” he said.
Academic data site Niche.com ranks the Syosset Central School District second-best in New York State, just behind East Williston Union Free School District. U.S. News & World Report ranks Syosset High School #33 in New York State and #259 in national rankings.
Syosset as well is the home of the celebrated Long Island High School for the Arts, part of the statewide Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) rather than the district per se, and the equally celebrated private music school The Children’s Orchestra Society.
Students from these various schools perform onstage at such local events as the annual Syosset Street Fair, being held this year on Sept. 14, and the hamlet’s annual holiday lighting, Green said.
The Chamber of Commerce president also touted Syosset’s walkability and bikeability. “There are a lot of ways to get around town besides driving,” Green said. In much of the hamlet, “It’s very easy to walk to the types of events and shopping you might want to go to.”

In addition to the larger areas like Stillwell Woods Park, Syosset has many smaller neighborhood parks like this one on Crocus Drive. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Other amenities include Syosset Hospital, a volunteer fire department and Syosset Public Library, which offers free programs, classes, movies and workshops. The community also houses pocket parks and playgrounds, plus Stillwell Woods Park and Syosset-Woodbury Community Park just over the border.
The latest addition: the fabled Neptune Diner, which after 41 years in Astoria, relocated to Syosset in February. A Lidl supermarket is within the hamlet, and both a Trader Joe’s and a ShopRite are just a stone’s-throw away.
But above all, Monteleone said, the vibe is “all about the kids.”
“It’s a very close-knit community because of that,” he said. “We’ve got friends who if their daughter’s in a play, everyone’s at the play. If my son’s playing a baseball game, everyone’s at the baseball game.”
Homes on Flo Drive, top, and Southwood Circle in Syosset. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
SALE PRICES Between July 3, 2024, and July 2, 2025, there were 201 home sales with a median sale price of $1.16 million, according to OneKey MLS. During that period a year earlier, there were 234 home sales with a median sale price of $979,000.
CONDOS AND CO-OPS There are four condos, priced between $740,000 and $1.18 million, currently on the market.
OTHER STATS
Population 18,274
Median age 42.6
Median home value $1.174 million
Monthly LIRR ticket from Syosset $287
School districts, graduation rates Syosset (97%), Oyster Bay-East Norwich (100%)
Libraries Syosset, Oyster Bay-East Norwich
Transit (There are no routes directly in the community, the closest is NICE Route 79)
Sources: 2023 American Community Survey; OneKey MLS via InfoSparks by ShowingTime; LIRR; data.nysed.gov; Nassau Inter-County Express
$4.25 million
This $4.25 million Syosset home sits on 1.09 acre. Credit: Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
This five-bed, 5½-bath new construction features a formal dining room, an eat-in kitchen with breakfast nook and a living room fireplace. Bedrooms are each ensuite with a walk-in closet. The 1.09-acre property includes a pool with spa, sun deck and automatic retractable cover, plus an attached three-car garage. Taxes not yet assessed. Valerie A. Rosenblatt, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, 516-238-7396.
$1.9 million
This $1.9 million Syosset home is over 3,400 square feet.
HOBUYING250808 Credit: Homedia Group
An open-concept new construction with both a dining area near the living area and a separate formal dining room, this five-bedroom, 41/2-bath home is 3,422 square feet on 0.2 acres of land. Appliances are Energy Star, including in an upstairs laundry room. There is a fireplace, an attached single-car garage and central A/C. Taxes not yet assessed. Douglas Elliman Real Estate: Christine Malloy, 516-474-8909, and Linda H. Freedman 917-743-2724.
RECENTLY SOLD
$2.43 million
Belvedere Drive
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 3½
Built 1970
Lot size 2 acres
Taxes $37,078
+/- List price -$125,000
Days on market 96
$1.55 million
Roosevelt Avenue
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 3
Built 2024
Lot size 0.19
Taxes TBD
+/- List price Sold for asking
Days on market 367
Edgewood Drive
Style Cape Cod
Bedrooms 4
Bathrooms 2
Built 1950
Lot size 0.16 acre
Taxes $20,974
+/- List price -$27,000
Days on market 97
ON ONEKEY MLS
Number of listings 54
Price range $740,000 to $4.5 million
Tax range $14,695 to $29,709
link