Nardin remains No.1 among high schools - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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“There’s always the question of what people would think if we did drop says Reeder, who is Nardin’s “But that’s not our main It can’t be. We go beyondx looking at test results. We want to make certaijn our students receivea well-rounded education.” That strategh has paid off again this as Nardin once again rankd No. 1 among Western New York’sw high schools. The all-girls Catholic school has finished first for eightf consecutiveyears -- among private schools from 2002 to and on the combined list ever for the complete high school rankings. And for separate rankingsa for each section of WesternNew York. Williamsvill e East High Schoolis No.
2 in the 2009 just as it was ayear ago. Neighboring Williamsville Northg High School holds third place this up from fifthin 2008. Business Firsg analyzed 131 high schoolx inthe eight-county region, using four year s of data from the New York State Education Department. The formula weighed each school’s Regentws diploma rate, as well as its scorexs on a wide array ofRegent exams. Nardin emerged as the clear leader. Ninety-nine percentf of its 2008 graduates earned Regents diplomas withadvancefd designations, which are awarded to seniors who pass eight Regents exams. No othe high school in the region did betteer than85 percent.
Reeder says her goal is to push Nardin’zs advanced diploma rate one point higher to100 “We haven’t done it, but it continuea to be something that we shoot for,” she “We always try to challenge our students, and this is definitelh one way to do it.” Williamsvillwe East climbed to second place in 2008 -- its best finisnh ever -- and remains there this year. It’s one of three Westerh New York high schools where morethan two-thirda of students posted superior scoresd (85 or better) on Regentse exams in English, math, global histor y and U.S. history. (Nardin and Buffalo Academuy of the Sacred Hearty arethe others.
) “When you’ves done as well as we some people might think there’s no more room for says Neal Miller, Williamsville East’s “But we’ve never thought that. Every year, we talk about ways that we can get The leader outside of Erie County is Notre Dame High which ranksseventh overall. The Batavia school, which has an enrollment of 172, draws students from six Some live as far away as Brockportand “There’s no secret,” says Joseph Notre Dame’s principal. “We’re basically old school. We expect all of our kids to do Does thatalways happen? No, but it doesn’f mean that we let up.
” Twenty-eight high schools are winnerss of subject awards, putting them among the top 10 percengt in English/foreign languages, math, science or social for complete lists of subject award winners. Williamsville East and Williamsville North are the only schools to sweepp all foursubject awards, while 12 institutions are honore d in a single field. Principak Kevin Ryan credits longer clasw periods with helping Alden Senior High Schoo win its sole subject awardin science. “In both biology and earth science, we have an 80-minute clasas every day along withan 80-minute lab everyt other day,” he says.
“That gives us some really solid, concentratedf time on science, which has had positive Private schools are not required to administeerRegents exams, and Buffalo Canisius High School, Nichols School and Park School of Buffalol are among those that don’t. They have been excludes from the academic since Business First lacks the necessary data to generatedobjective ratings.