Commack School District
Commack Union Free School District is a public school district located in Suffolk County, New York, United States near the North Shore of Long Island. The district straddles the towns of Huntington and Smithtown, with Townline Road as the dividing line. It serves the vast majority of Commack as well as parts of Dix Hills and Hauppauge. It served approximately 6,000 students during the 2018–2019 school year. There are four primary schools, two intermediate schools, one middle school and one high school.History
The first ever predecessor to the modern Commack School District was originally formed in 1814, at a historic Commack building lost to time. Known at different points as the Woodhull Tavern or the Goldsmith Hotel, it burned to the ground in 1895. Today, there is a building in Commack also known as the Woodhull Tavern on Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack. The first school in Commack was on Burr Road, and was there during the founding of the district in 1814. Burr Road was named for the Burr family, who would be major players in early Commack Schools history. The original Commack schoolhouse was moved behind the property of Caleb Smith after its closure in 1844, Caleb being a member of the Smith family who had founded Smithtown many years before. The district was reorganized in 1844, and at this point the early district utilized two schools, North and South. The mistress of the North School was Minnie Van Brunt, the final Van Brunt to live at the Van Brunt Mansion on Harned Road and future teacher in the modern district. The South School was located near the modern Commack Public Library, and both the South and North schools were used until the forming of the modern district in 1899.Formation and early history
The Commack School District was originally formed in 1899, through the combination of District #10 and District #18. Both districts had just a single schoolhouse, both of which also being just one room. They were separated by Jericho Turnpike, as District #10 served north of Jericho Turnpike and District #18 served south of Jericho Turnpike. The original name of the district was Comac School District #10, Comac being the spelling of the hamlet known as Commack today. Marion Carll, a major player in Commack history who had a school named after her, believes this is because of being repeatedly confused for Coram, and adding letters helped to differentiate the two. Carll would go on to be a treasurer, census taker, PTA president, and teacher in the district. The first school owned by the district was the Frame School, with the initial land purchase approved by the first Commack Board of Education. The three trustees on the first Board of Education of Commack were Carll S. Burr Jr., John C. Hubbs, and Herbert J. Harned. The Burr, Hubbs, and Harned families would all go on to be very impactful in the history of Commack and Commack schools. Carll S. Burr Jr. would purchase the original Commack school building used in the early 1800s from the Smith family in 1904. Burr Road is also named after the Burr family, and it is widely agreed upon that the Burrs were incredibly influential in the early development of the Commack community. The old Burr horse racing track is today the site of Commack High School. Harned Road, where the Van Brunt Mansion was located, is named after the Harned family. The current administration center is also named after a Hubbs. The Frame School was on Jericho Turnpike, and had two stories with one room on each. It was called the "Frame" school because of its wooden frame. The school served children grades 1–8, with one floor having students 1-4 and the other 5–8. Minnie Van Brunt, former mistress of the North School, became principal of the Frame School in 1907 and had already taught at the North and Frame school for many years. The Frame School served Commack until 1923. The Commack Grammar School was built in 1923, opened the following year, and was later named Turnpike School and finally the Marion E. Carll school in 1957. It served Commack for many years before it was purchased in 1973 by the New York Institute of Technology. The Frame School was sold to the Commack Hook and Ladder Company in 1924. for $5. The Commack Grammar School was the sole school in the district for 34 years. It had many new wings added to during its time serving Commack, along with having a library and auditorium. Grace L. Hubbs, who would also have a school named after her in the future, taught at the school for nearly 40 years. A member of the Harned family, who Harned Road is named after, also taught there. The former Marion E. Carll School building was demolished in 1990. In 1948, the district became Union Free, meaning it could have a high school. However, the district was not permitted by the state to get one until the mid-1960s.Extreme growth
A tremendous boom in population occurred due to events like World War II in the 1950s and 1960s. Commack went from just a single school until 1958 to 17 in 1966 just 8 years later. It became greatly urbanized during this time and there was a mix of farm and city people in Commack. The schools that opened in this time are: Winnecomac, Cedar Road, Green Fields, Wood Park, North Ridge, South Ridge, Old Farms, Circle Hill, Long Acres, Green Meadows Junior High, and Commack High School. All except for Commack High School and Green Meadows Junior High were K-6. Commack High School, North Ridge, and Wood Park are all still used by the district. When Commack High School opened, the senior class was initially sent to nearby Hauppauge High School for the 1962–1963 school year. Commack only served students up to grade 11 at the time. Other schools open at this time include the Townline School and Smith's Lane School. Indian Hollow, Grace L. Hubbs, Rolling Hills, Sagtikos, John F. Kennedy Junior High School, and Commack High School South all opened around the same time in the mid to late 1960s. Commack High School became Commack High School North and the district became a dual high school district. By the end of the decade, Commack was the largest district in the county second only to Brentwood. Burr and Sawmill Junior High Schools both opened in 1972, giving the district a total of 21 schools. John Mandracchia was the first principal of Sawmill, and today it bears his name.Decline in population
Commack's population would decline in the 1970s and 1980s, and the district had to start closing schools. First was the Marion E. Carll school. South Ridge, Smith's Lane, Green Meadows, Long Acres, Circle Hill, John F. Kennedy, Sagtikos, Green Fields, and Winnecomac were all closed between 1976 and 1983. Grace L. Hubbs also became the Administration Center of the district and closed for students. In this time, the district also reconfigured, taking on its current form of four K-2 schools two 3-5 schools, one 6-8 Middle School, and one 9-12 high school. Cedar Road and Old Farms both closed to make way for this plan. This meant the closing of a high school, and also the combination of the staunch rivals of Commack North and Commack South, which happened in 1989. Commack High School North became Commack High School and Commack High School South became Commack Middle School. The configuration of the district has not changed since.Elwood merger attempts
In late 2010 and early 2011, the Elwood Union Free School District attempted merging with every school district surrounding it because of the district having very low funds. These districts were Half Hollow Hills, Northport-East Northport, South Huntington, and Harborfields. All districts denied Elwood their merger request. Due to Elwood being a very small district bordering Commack, these concerns had been raised before, as Commack-Elwood mergers were attempted by Elwood in the 1960s and late 1980s. Both of these attempts were also denied by Commack.Schools
Primary schools
The primary schools in the Commack School District are Indian Hollow, Rolling Hills, North Ridge, and Wood Park. They serve students in grades K–2. The school day for these schools last from around 9:20 AM to 3:20 PM although one should check with the specific schools for exact times. The students have one teacher throughout the day except for special classes like music, art, and physical education and special services like speech, physical, or occupational therapy.Intermediate schools
The intermediate schools are Burr and Sawmill. They serve students in grades 3–5. Their school day is from 8:50 AM to 3:05 PM. The two buildings are identical in their structure and design. Both schools have at least ten clubs that meet while school is not in session. The children have one teacher for the whole day except for special classes like music, art and physical education. There are many special services available like Physical Speech and Occupational Therapy, social workers, psychologists and a gifted and talented program. There is also an English as a second language program. In fourth grade, the students begin to learn a musical instrument. They are given lessons once a week and participate in the school's band or orchestra. There is a chorus for students who are interested in singing. Each fifth grade class in both schools takes a two-day trip to Camp Mariah in Fishkill, NY towards the end of the year.Middle school
The Commack Middle School serves students in grades 6–8. The school day lasts from 7:50 AM to 2:38 PM. Commack Middle School is the first school with multiple classes held in different rooms, unlike in the intermediate and primary schools. Each period is 41 minutes for the exception of 9th period. The students have 9 periods per day, each with a different teacher. Each child is required to take Math, English, Science, Social Studies, a foreign language, and Physical Education all year for the entire three years. They are also required to take Art, Family and Consumer Science, Technology and Health for a quarter of each year. There are 65 clubs and 20 sports teams for students.