Nardin remains No.1 among high schools - St. Louis Business Journal:

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“There’s always the question of what people would thinkj if we diddrop down,” says who is Nardin’s principal. “But that’sd not our main focus. It can’tf be. We go beyond looking at test results. We want to make certaibn our students receivea well-rounded education.” That strategu has paid off again this year, as Nardinb once again ranks No. 1 among Western New York’s high The all-girls Catholic school has finished firsy for eight consecutiveyearss -- among private schools from 2002 to and on the combined list ever for the complete high school rankings.
And for separat e rankings for each section of Western New Williamsville East High Schoolis No. 2 in the 2009 just as it was ayear ago. Neighboring Williamsville Nortjh High School holds third placdethis time, up from fifthy in 2008. Business First analyzed 131 high schoolsx inthe eight-county region, usingh four years of data from the New York Stat Education Department. The formula weighed each school’e Regents diploma rate, as well as its scoresa on a wide array ofRegents exams. Nardin emerged as the clearr leader.
Ninety-nine percent of its 2008 graduates earned Regente diplomas withadvanced designations, which are awardexd to seniors who pass eight Regents No other high school in the regionm did better than 85 percent. Reeded says her goal is to push Nardin’sz advanced diploma rate one poinyt higher to100 percent. “We haven’t done it, but it continueas to be something that weshoot for,” she “We always try to challenge our and this is definitely one way to do Williamsville East climbed to second place in 2008 -- its best finish ever -- and remains therwe this year.
It’s one of three Western New York high schoolz where morethan two-thirds of students posted superioer scores (85 or better) on Regents exams in math, global history and U.S. (Nardin and Buffalo Academy of the Sacredx Heart arethe others.) “Wheb you’ve done as well as we some people might think there’s no more room for says Neal Miller, Williamsvillse East’s principal. “But we’ve nevedr thought that. Every year, we talk abouft ways that we canget better.” The leade r outside of Erie County is Notre Dame High which ranks seventh overall. The Batavia which has an enrollmentof 172, drawx students from six counties.
Some live as far away as Brockporfand Warsaw. “There’s no secret,” says Joseph Notre Dame’s principal. “We’re basically old We expect all of our kids to do Does thatalways happen? No, but it doesn’t mean that we let up.” Twenty-eigh t high schools are winners of subject putting them among the top 10 percent in English/foreigmn languages, math, science or social studies. for complete listsx of subjectaward winners. Nardin, Williamsville East and Williamsville Northy are the only schools to sweel all foursubject awards, while 12 institutionsw are honored in a single field.
Principapl Kevin Ryan credits longer class periodd with helping Alden Seniot High School win its sole subject awardin “In both biology and earth science, we have an 80-minutes class every day along with an 80-minute lab every othe r day,” he says. “That givews us some really solid, concentrated time on which has had positive Private schools are not requiredr to administerRegents exams, and Buffalo Canisius High School, Nichols School and Park Schoolk of Buffalo are amonhg those that don’t.
They have been excluded from theacademixc rankings, since Business First lackss the necessary data to generate objective