Schools

Long Island's 15 Most Obese School Districts

Most far exceed state average, according to health department data.

While most talk about the state's involvement in New York schools centers around Common Core, high-stakes testing and the teacher evaluation system, officials have also targeted another school problem that doesn't get nearly as much attention: childhood obesity.

According to the state, about one-third of students are either overweight or obese in the system, a number the state hopes to drag down a few percentage points by 2017 through a slate of programs that increase healthy choices regarding activity and nutrition.

Across the state, 17.6 percent of public school students were considered obese between 2010 and 2012. The stats do not include New York City students. Meanwhile, the district average in Nassau and Suffolk for obese students was 16.9 percent, just a little bit lower than the state's average.

But when you look at the numbers by district, many schools on Long Island far surpass, and even double, the state average when it comes to the number of obese students in the districts.

Below you'll find the top 15 school districts on Long Island when it comes to the percent of students who are obese, according to data collected by the New York State Department of Health.

1. Greenport Union Free School District
Percent Obese: 34.3
Number Obese: 49

2. Hempstead Union Free School District
Percent Obese: 33.3
Number Obese: 625

3. Uniondale Union Free School District
Percent Obese: 29.5
Number Obese: 596

4. Brentwood Union Free School District
Percent Obese: 29.5
Number Obese: 1,785

5. Central Islip Union Free School District
Percent Obese: 29.1
Number Obese: 458

6. Westbury Union Free School District
Percent Obese: 29
Number Obese: 614

7. Bridgehampton Union Free School District
Percent Obese: 27.3
Number Obese: 15

8. Roosevelt Union Free School District
Percent Obese: 25.6
Number Obese: 237

9. Amityville Union Free School District
Percent Obese: 25.2
Number Obese: 268

10. Riverhead Central School District
Percent Obese: 24.7
Number Obese: 315

11. William Floyd Union Free School District
Percent Obese: 24.3
Number Obese: 846

12. Springs Union Free School District
Percent Obese: 22.9
Number Obese: 64

13. Glen Cove City School District
Percent Obese: 22.8
Number Obese: 204

14. Freeport Union Free School District
Percent Obese: 22
Number Obese: 492

15. Longwood Central School District
Percent Obese: 22
Number Obese: 634


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