Fayetteville Manlius, Skaneateles and Cazenovia have been ranked the top three schools in the Syracuse area by Buffalo-based Business First magazine based on standardized test score analysis.

F-M ranked second out of 431 Upstate school districts, with Skaneateles taking fifth and Cazenovia taking ninth. Each Upstate district was ranked in four subject areas, and F-M took first in mathematics.

“We are thrilled and ecstatic,” said F-M Superintendent Corliss Kaiser. “Fayetteville-Manlius has always done well, but to know we are number two in Upstate is just incredible.”

Kaiser attributed F-M’s high ranking to the hard work of the district’s teachers and staff, parent support and the development of a district action plan.

The magazine ranked the Pittsford School District in suburban Rochester number one in the state, followed by F-M; the Brighton School District in suburban Rochester; Williamsville School District in suburban Buffalo, and Skaneateles in suburban Syracuse.

The magazine divided Upstate into eight regions, and in the Syracuse region, F-M, Skaneateles, and Cazenovia were the top three school districts.

Business First rated each school district on its students’ annual performances on 21 Regents exams and statewide tests from 2007 to 2010. Final scores are based on 172 statistical indicators.

Business First’s Upstate standings are posted on the magazine’s website.