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Topics: Educational Options: Day Schools , Grade Level: Elementary School , Grade Level: Middle School

Website:	Long Island School for the Gifted (Huntington Station, NY)
URL:	http://www.lisg.org/
Description:	The Long Island School for the Gifted (LISG) is a private coeducational day school for gifted students in grades K-9, located in Huntington Station, New York. This is an academically rigorous school with a fairly traditional approach to education. The curriculum for each grade level is about 2 years ahead of other (non gifted) schools. Each graduating ninth grader enters high school having already earned several credits and is in a position to accelerate through the high school curriculum.
Comments:	Contributed by: Student on 3/7/2008 LISG is a good school for academics and everything but it doesn't really socially prepare you for high school. Another thing I should add is that LISG has NO sports programs whatsoever, so if you stay all 10 years, you lose the opportunity to play middle school, and 1 year of high school sports. Contributed by: Student on 11/14/2007 I have been at LISG since Kindergarten. I think the school is pretty cool, even if some classes are not top-notch. I enjoy many of my classes and the teachers are awesome. Contributed by: Student on 12/25/2006 This school was the best thing to ever happen to me, personally and education-wise. I am a high school senior heading to a top college, and I feel that my life would have been very different, and without nearly as much success, if it had not been for LISG. This school provided me with support like that of a family, caring teachers with high expectations, a network of bright peers, and so much personal growth. I admit the transition to public school can be hard after graduation, but I learned to adjust and appreciate the many lessons LISG has taught me. This school is invaluable and a blessing to every gifted child. Contributed by: Parent on 9/29/2006 I have 2 sons; one went to LISG, one went to public. My LISG son was ALWAYS an "uber-geek" and remains one to this day. Because he prefers order and structure, the rigid atmosphere of LISG was, for the most part, an asset for him. He remained at LISG through 9th grade, and had no trouble transitioning to public high school. I do feel that had we transitioned him at a younger age, he would have had more difficulty, because his social skills were weak; not the fault of LISG, but his own personality. He is now a college senior with a well-rounded social life. Yes, he was picked on (a little) and no, the administration did not help. My public school son is far more socially adept, and thrived in public shool. He was also picked on (a lot), and the public school administration also did nothing to help. In retrospect, I made the correct choice for each child--LISG is a good choice for a gifted, socially awkward, or driven child. Contributed by: Parent on 9/23/2006 In our experience, we have been upset by the LISG administration's treament of both parents and students. The education it provides is uneven. There are some excellent teachers, namely math. However, we have found that some teachers have no background in the subjects they teach. Contributed by: Parent on 9/15/2006 I have 2 kids who have attended. There is no better education anywhere. As far as the social aspect-make sure your LISG student participates in their own town sports or some other local activity so that they have friends in the neighborhood as well as at school. This has made for my kids to be perfectly well rounded. My son had no trouble making the transition to public H.S.My other child is still in LISG. Best parent decision I ever made Contributed by: Student on 8/9/2006 I attended LISG for 8 years and while I can honestly say I received a top notch education, when I attended public school I was placed with students at least a year or 2 older than I was and it was very difficult for me to fit in. I was unable to find a niche for myself and was very unhappy. I wish I had entered public school earlier and had more time to adjust socially. The public schools also have so many more extracurricular activities to take advantage of. Contributed by: Parent on 7/25/2006 I am surprised by the number of parents of profoundly-gifted children who have recommended this school. We did not have the same experience. Our son, a Davidson Young Scholar, was turned away and we were told that he was "too advanced". In fact, the director of the school was quite rude to us in saying that it was "a shame that we had accelerated him so much." We had much more success at a more open-minded, flexible school. Contributed by: Student on 5/29/2006 I went to LISG for 8 years and then continued on to public high school. I think LISG is a great place for elementary-aged students. As cliched as it sounds, it made learning fun and the cool thing to do. However, owing to incredibly small class sizes, LISG was not enough of a social outlet when I was in middle school. It was also a bit of an adjustment coming into public high school and being, by far, the youngest in all of my classes. Despite these shortcomings, LISG gave me a strong sense of self and gave me a great respect for learning and intellect. Contributed by: Educator on 5/24/2006 I agree with student comments that it does not train a well rounded person. Children who graduate from this school lack motivation and leadership skills unless they came to LISG after attending public schools for a few years. Save the money and send your child to public school and see them blossom. You are a much more confident person when you are one of the smartest in the large public school system than in the small school environment where the administration is very closeminded. Contributed by: Parent on 5/12/2006 The school is an outstanding resource for gifted students whose needs are not being met by the public school system. I did find that I had issues with the administration at times but they were minor in retrospect. My child excelled academically and moved on to one of the NYC public science high schools. There was no problem fitting in socially. The school delivered exactly what they promised. My child took numerous AP classes throughout HS, built an outstanding academic resume, and is now on his way to an elite institute of technology in MA. Contributed by: Student on 1/6/2006 I have recently left this school, as I was being bullied BAD, and I really hate it. No adult seemed to do anything about it. Contributed by: Parent on 5/4/2005 My child has been going there for a couple of years and I have only good to report. The administration and staff are sensible and pragmatic. The teachers have been excellent. Due to small class size, the kids really get to know a lot of other kids. There is considerable ethnic/ cultural/financial diversity which is a really good thing. If you get into the playdate/birthday party thing, there can be some travel of up to an hour involved. For the most part, the other parents have been great; all seem interested in giving the kids the opportunity to be the best they can. The strong disciple that the school enforces is a good thing. Most students I've observed are well-behaved and considerate. I'm amazed at how well the school is structured and operated, and if there is any doubt, go there and meet with the people and take a look at the place. You will be impressed. Contributed by: Parent on 4/14/2005 LISG is a unique and fabulous school. Besides the individual attention given the students, and the strong message to them that effort and desire to succeed are what are important rather than simply pure intellectual ability, the administration and faculty are unbelievable dedicated to the students. The lengths to which they will go to help an individual student have absolutely amazed me. Contributed by: Student on 4/9/2005 This is my seventh year going to LISG. I have never been to a public school but I do know one thing for sure, you'll make LISG your home. It doesn't have many extra curricular activities for the younger students but the older students get to have electives and be in Drama, Robotics, Newspaper, and lots and lots of other stuff. The administration works really hard for the children. They make cultural art programs, special events, and school so fun. With 28 to 32 kids in the grade, you get the special attention you need. I have some classes with 8 people and some classes with 16 people. You are grouped with kids who are at the same level as you and at lunch, you see all the kids. Maybe it's just me, but I have made strong bonds with friends and teachers at LISG and I know it is a school that I will never forget. Contributed by: Student on 2/14/2005 I went to LISG for 7 years. At first I liked it, but soon learned to hate it, because of the administration and lack of extra-curricular activities. I was ahead when I entered high school, but not socially inept, as others claim the school makes them. However it is not always a plus to be so academically advanced, as I had limited classes to take in my senior year of high school. In LISG, I was extremely annoyed at the lack of electives for the upper school and the extreme inflexibility of the administrators. Overall, LISG is an okay school. Contributed by: Parent on 2/5/2005 We didn't have a good experience because my daughter came home from school every day CRYING because she was being bullied. Contributed by: Student on 1/26/2005 I felt that the faculty was unprofessional, and the administrator did not respect the students. Contributed by: Student on 1/24/2005 LISG, while a good school academically, turns out socially inept students. Thank goodness for summer camps where children can learn to socialize, because if an LISG student were suddenly ejected into a public high school, they would be grades ahead of their age which would not be a good situation, socially. Contributed by: Student on 12/20/2004 I attended LISG from grades 2-8 and have mixed feelings about it. I found the accelerated curriculum to be good in theory but once you leave and enter public high school, you are often in classes with students one or two grades ahead of you, which does not bode well for you socially. However, the school did provide me with strong study habits and a great academic background. Several of the teachers stood out and I will remember them for the rest of my life, while others I would love to forget. Contributed by: Student on 12/19/2004 I am 12 years old and I attend LISG. I am dismayed to hear harsh words spoken against LISG, because I love my school. It does not have sports teams because some students, myself included, live over half an hour away. It does, however, have a chorus, mathletes program, and "upper schoolers" in grades 7-9 get to take a friday elective and an extra curricular activity. Friday electives include Basketball, drama, competitive math, scrabble, or newspaper, among other things. The extra curricular activities include scrapbooking, robotics with legos, debate, computer programming, video journal, and more. It never errs on the side of leniency, and students are challenged in math, ELA, social studies and science, according to thier needs, and level. Contributed by: Student on 12/16/2004 LISG is an awesome school! I went there until third grade and then moved to Hong Kong where I attended Hong Kong International School until seventh grade, now I am attending Singapore American School- LISG provided me with an excellent base for the rest of my schooling and I am NOT AN uber-nerd. Contributed by: Student on 12/12/2004 I went to LISG for 5 years before moving to public school. IMHO, public school has been much better for me personally. While LISG certainly accomplished the task of accelerating me (I was 3 years ahead of schedule), I found myself socially unable to deal with normal people after leaving. To put it more simply, LISG turned me into the über-nerd, and such an identity lends itself poorly for social interaction with the common student. In addition, the extracurricular program at LISG was less than inadequate: It was fully non-existent. The weaknesses of this school unfortunately outweighed its strengths, and in looking back on who I was when I left that school, I see an undeveloped person. Contributed by: Parent on 12/7/2004 I would highly recommend this school to any parent who feels their public school is not allowing their child to reach his/her personal best. I fought for years with the public schools to expand their enrichment programs at the elementary level. Unfortunately, budgets are always an issue and the need's of the child who is struggling will have to be addressed first. My children LOVE that they are constantly learning. They do not feel pressured, only excited. My children seem to have less hours per night of homework than their friends that are in the public school. This leaves more time for fun and extracurricular activities Contributed by: Parent on 12/2/2004 My two children attended LISG. It was the best education and environment for over-the-top gifted children. There is no other school on Long Island that fulfills the needs of extraordinary children. These children are extremely cerebral and the faculty was capable of challenging them everyday but still recognized the basic needs of children. Sports were non-competitive and taught good sportsmanship. It was a joy to see my children excited about going to school rather than dreading another day in the public schools where the teachers ignored them and told me that they were so bright that they could learn in a closed, black room. That didn't help them become all that they could be. The public school was concerned with the status quo and only encouraging the lower end of the educational spectrum. If your child is truly gifted, LISG will be the place for growth and learning. Contributed by: Student on 7/20/2004 L.I.S.G. is an amazing school that teaches students life applications as well as academic excellence. The school feels like a home and family. Worth every penny. Show All CommentsShow Less Comments

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