Bethpage has a long history dating back several centuries.  It was originally inhabited by Native Americans, then became a farming village settled by Quakers, then it played a central role in aviation and aerospace history and is now a high-tech center with several major corporations calling it home.

Originally several Native American groups were involved with the Bethpage area prior to its settlement by Quakers. The Massapequa, Secatog, and Matinecock all roamed the area and had some claim to it.  In 1695, Thomas Powell, a devout Quaker, bought the land from Native Americans. He paid 140 sterling pounds.

Powell called his land Bethpage (which means "house of figs") because there was a place in the Bible in between Jericho and Jerusalem named "Bethphage".  His land was situated between the settlement of Jericho and what had previously been referred to as Jerusalem (now Wantagh).

Even though Thomas Powell named his land Bethpage, the people who eventually moved here in the 1850's pressured the village to change its name to Central Park. Land speculators thought that by naming the village Central Park, more people would want to move here. This was before New York City built its famous park and so in 1857 the name was officially changed to Central Park.  It was changed back to Bethpage in 1936 at the request of residents who felt overshadowed by New York City's Central Park.

Residents of the Bethpage area went to school at the Bedelltown School built at the corner of Broadway and Plainview Road in 1858. The second Bedelltown School was built on property that would now be the Bethpage High School; Athletic Complex. This one room building was built in the 1890's. In 1912, the much larger Powell Avenue School was built on the current site of the Bethpage Public Library (which was built in 1963 and remodeled in 1995).

In 1950, the Broadway School (now, John F. Kennedy Middle School) was constructed on land that in earlier years was used for farming. This first served as the high school and junior high school. Prior to this time, students attended Farmingdale High School, and at an even earlier date, attended school in Mineola. The "baby boom" created a need for more schools in the community. The following schools were built: Pine Avenue (1954), Central Boulevard School (1955-56), Kramer Lane School (1957), Bloomingdale School (1959), Bethpage High School (1959), and Charles Campagne (1962). Kramer Lane and Charles Campagne are named after former members of the Bethpage Board of Education. The Bloomingdale School was closed in 1972 and the Pine Avenue School was closed in 1980.

The Grumman Corporation, located in Bethpage, was a major supplier of military aircraft during World Wars I and II. Grumman also built the first Lunar Module which was sent to the moon.  At its height, Grumman employed over 25,000 workers on Long Island.  It eventually merged and became Northrop-Grumman.  It sill maintains a large presence in Bethpage, but the corporation is based in California.

Development of buildings and land that once belonged to the Grumman Corporation has been going on since the merger.  Today, in addition to Northrop-Grumman, the land is occupied by Cablevision, Grumman Studios (a full production movie studio), Briarcliffe College, FedEx, the Morrelly Homeland Security Building, the LISTnet Corporate Incubator, Goya Foods, Nassau County Police Aviation Center, DalTile, Lily Popcorn, Verizon and Rainbow Network Operating Center, and dozens of other companies.

In addition, in the 1930’s, as part of the New Deal public works program, New York State received funds to acquire land and build a state park in Bethpage and Farmingdale.  Called Bethpage State Park, it is a state treasure that has five outstanding golf courses, polo fields, horse trails, tennis, picnic areas, and hiking/bike paths.  In 2002 and 2009, its famed Black Course was host to the prestigious U.S. Open and in 2019 host of the PGA Championship. In 2024, Bethpage State Park will play host to the Ryder Cup.

Bethpage School District is a leading voice in the promotion of 21st Century skills and boasts tremendous results on all measurements of standardized tests.  Bethpage High School is consistently ranked among the best public high schools in the nation.  We have partnered with many of our corporate neighbors on projects from 21st Century, Read to Achieve, video production, internships, and shadowing experiences.  We are fortunate to be located central to so many generous sponsors.

Bethpage School District is also proud of its many traditions that strengthen the bond between our district, alumni, and the greater community.

While many of our current Golden Eagles are shining stars in their respective athletic programs, our district is honored to recognize outstanding alumni and coaches for their athletic contributions through the district’s annual Wall of Fame ceremony. Howie Vogts, who began the Bethpage football program in 1953 and went on to become the winningest coach in New York State High School Football.

In 2013, the district was pleased to also introduce the Bethpage Hall of Fame. Sponsored by the Bethpage Educational Foundation, the Hall of Fame recognizes the accomplishments of students and staff from the district. Since 2013, fifty-two individuals/groups have been honored with this distinction. Each fall, our district looks forward to this annual event which showcases the pride that so many in our community have for the Bethpage Schools!

Once a Golden Eagle, always a Golden Eagle!
#WeAreBethpage