The Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District was recently one of only 27 Long Island school districts listed among the top 230 of the nation's best school districts, and earned a ranking in the top 100 of the list. The standings come from Class Struggle, a newly published book delving into the trade secrets of successful public schools, and are based on the number of students taking advanced placement courses, which are college-level classes.

"In Plainview-Old Bethpage, one of our main goals is to offer our students a rigorous curriculum that challenges them to reach beyond their perceived limits," noted Board of Education President Ginger Lieberman. "The results of this study reveal this district's commitment to offering our children every opportunity for success." The figures were calculated by dividing the number of AP tests given in 1996 by the number of graduating seniors. Plainview-Old Bethpage ranked 89 on the list.

"I am very pleased with our standing," commented Dr. Anthony Cavanna, superintendent, "because it demonstrates that the district is rapidly moving toward our goal of being number one. Art Jones and his staff at the high school are to be commended for doing a superior job in motivating students to take these types of demanding courses."

Advanced Placement courses offered at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School are Biology, Calculus A/B, Calculus B/C, Chemistry, U.S. Government in Politics, U.S. History, Economics, Macro Economics, European History, French Language, Spanish Language, English Literature, Music Theory, Physics, Psychology, and Studio in Art.