WNY High school rankings

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Rebecca Reeder admits to "a certain amount" of pressure at Buffalo's Nardin Academy High School, which has occupied first place ever since Business First merged its rankings of public and private high schools in 2007.

"There's always the question of what people would think if we did drop down," says Reeder, who is Nardin's principal. "But that's not our main focus. It can't be. We go beyond looking at test results. We want to make certain our students receive a well-rounded education."

>> click here for the whole list of all High school rankings

That strategy has paid off again this year, as Nardin once again ranks No. 1 among Western New York's high schools. The all-girls Catholic school has finished first for eight consecutive years -- among private schools from
2002 to 2006, and on the combined list ever since.

Full details will be available in Business First's 2009-10 Guide to Western New York Schools, which hits newsstands tomorrow (Friday). Highlights are also available at the newspaper's website: buffalo.bizjournals.com.

Williamsville East High School is No. 2 in the 2009 rankings, just as it was a year ago. Neighboring Williamsville North High School holds third place this time, up from fifth in 2008.

Business First analyzed 131 high schools in the eight-county region, using four years of data from the New York State Education Department. The formula weighed each school's Regents diploma rate, as well as its scores on a wide array of Regents exams.

Nardin emerged as the clear leader. Ninety-nine percent of its 2008 graduates earned Regents diplomas with advanced designations, which are awarded to seniors who pass eight Regents exams. No other high school in the region did better than 85 percent.

Reeder says her goal is to push Nardin's advanced diploma rate one point higher to 100 percent.

"We haven't done it, but it continues to be something that we shoot for,"
she says. "We always try to challenge our students, and this is definitely one way to do it."

Williamsville East climbed to second place in 2008 -- its best finish ever
-- and remains there this year. It's one of three Western New York high schools where more than two-thirds of students posted superior scores (85 or
better) on Regents exams in English, math, global history and U.S. history.
(Nardin and Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart are the others.)

"When you've done as well as we have, some people might think there's no more room for improvement," says Neal Miller, Williamsville East's principal. "But we've never thought that. Every year, we talk about ways that we can get better."

The leader outside of Erie County is Notre Dame High School, which ranks seventh overall. The Batavia school, which has an enrollment of 172, draws students from six counties. Some live as far away as Brockport and Warsaw.

"There's no secret," says Joseph Scanlan, Notre Dame's principal. "We're basically old school. We expect all of our kids to do well. Does that always happen? No, but it doesn't mean that we let up."

Twenty-eight high schools are winners of subject awards, putting them among the top 10 percent in English/foreign languages, math, science or social studies.

Nardin, Williamsville East and Williamsville North are the only schools to sweep all four subject awards, while 12 institutions are honored in a single field. Principal Kevin Ryan credits longer class periods with helping Alden Senior High School win its sole subject award in science.

"In both biology and earth science, we have an 80-minute class every day along with an 80-minute lab every other day," he says. "That gives us some really solid, concentrated time on science, which has had positive results."

Private schools are not required to administer Regents exams, and Buffalo Seminary, Canisius High School, Nichols School and Park School of Buffalo are among those that don't. They have been excluded from the academic rankings, since Business First lacks the necessary data to generate objective ratings.

 

>> click here to see the full list of all High school rankings