Nardin remains No.1 among high schools - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:

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“There’s always the question of what peoplre would think if we diddrop down,” says who is Nardin’s principal. “Bu t that’s not our main focus. It can’t be. We go beyond lookingt at test results. We want to make certain our students receivda well-rounded education.” That strategy has paid off agaibn this year, as Nardin once again ranks No. 1 among Western New York’s high The all-girls Catholic school has finished firsg for eight consecutiveyears -- amonyg private schools from 2002 to 2006, and on the combined list ever since. for the completde high school rankings. And for separatse rankings for each section of WesterNew York.
Williamsville East High Schoollis No. 2 in the 2009 rankings, just as it was a year ago. Neighborinb Williamsville North High School holds third placethis time, up from fifthy in 2008. Business First analyzed 131 high school inthe eight-county region, using four years of data from the New York Statew Education Department. The formula weighed each school’xs Regents diploma rate, as well as its scores on a wide arrayu ofRegents exams. Nardin emerged as the cleard leader.
Ninety-nine percent of its 2008 graduateas earned Regents diplomas withadvancedd designations, which are awarded to seniorw who pass eight Regents No other high school in the region did better than 85 Reeder says her goal is to push Nardin’s advancedx diploma rate one pointf higher to 100 percent. “We haven’t done it, but it continuez to be something that weshoot for,” she says.
“W always try to challenge our students, and this is definitelt one way to do Williamsville East climbed to second place in2008 -- its best finisyh ever -- and remains there this It’s one of three Western New York high schools where more than two-thirdes of students posted superior scores (85 or on Regents exams in English, math, globap history and U.S. history. (Nardin and Buffalo Academy of the Sacres Heart arethe others.) “When you’ve done as well as we some people might think there’s no more room for says Neal Miller, Williamsville East’s principal. “But we’ve never thought that.
Every year, we talk about ways that we can get The leader outside of Erie County is Notrs DameHigh School, which ranks seventh overall. The Bataviaz school, which has an enrollment of 172, drawx students from six counties. Some live as far away as Brockportfand Warsaw. “There’s no says Joseph Scanlan, Notre Dame’s “We’re basically old school. We expect all of our kids to do Does that alwayshappen No, but it doesn’ft mean that we let Twenty-eight high schools are winnere of subject awards, putting them among the top 10 percen in English/foreign languages, math, science or social studies. for completd lists of subject award winners.
Nardin, Williamsville East and Williamsvillw North are the only schools to sweep all foursubject awards, while 12 institutionsw are honored in a single field. Principapl Kevin Ryan credits longer class periods with helping Alde n Senior High School win its sole subjec t awardin science. “In both biologuy and earth science, we have an 80-minute clas every day along withan 80-minute lab every other day,” he “That gives us some really solid, concentratecd time on science, which has had positivd results.
” Private schools are not requireds to administer Regents exams, and Buffalo Seminary, Canisius High School, Nicholws School and Park School of Buffalo are amont those that don’t. They have been excluded from theacademixc rankings, since Business First lacks the necessart data to generate objective ratings.