Jamesville-DeWitt and Fayetteville-Manlius school districts have been recognized for being in the top 100 school districts in New York state, according to a list developed by research analyst company Niche.
F-M reached no. 27 and J-D was named no. 34 on the list, which ranked the top 100 public school districts based on the ‘grades’ of 12 factors, including academic, health and safety, students culture and diversity, teachers, resources and facilities, extracurriculars and activities, sports and fitness. A minimum of five surveys from former students, alumni or parents were required for a school district to qualify.
Niche, formally CollegeProwler.com, is a research analyst company of private and public school districts, as well as colleges in the United States.
According to Niche’s website, “A high ranking indicates that the district contains great schools with exceptional teachers, sufficient resources and a diverse set of high-achieving students who rate their experiences very highly.”
F-M, listed at no. 27, received an overall grade of A+, with the lowest rated score being student culture and diversity, which was a B-.
According to the survey, the graduation rate at F-M is 95 percent, compared to the national average of 81 percent. The student to teacher ratio was reported as being 14:1 and expenses per student at F-M is $15,547, about $3,500 above the national average.
“While we are pleased the Fayetteville-Manlius School District was ranked well, we recognize that no one assessment tool or piece of data should be used to judge the quality of a school district,” F-M Superintendent Corliss Kaiser said. “As with any assessment, this gives us the opportunity to evaluate and review feedback and factor it in with the many other data points we use to gauge the progress we are making in fulfilling our mission of offering excellence in education to all students so they may reach their full potential.”
J-D came in at no. 34 on the list, achieving a total overall grade of an A+. Their lowest graded score was food at a B.
The graduation rate at J-D was reported to be 92 percent. Student to teacher ratio was reported to be 13:1 and the expenses per student was $16,422, about $4,400 above the national average.
“Our schools were recognized by a group that has done a lot of analysis and I want to thank the staff, administration and students for representing us so well,” J-D Superintendent Alice Kendrick said.
To read the full list of top public school districts in New York state, go to k12.niche.com.
Hayleigh Gowans is a reporter for the Eagle Bulletin. She can be reached at [email protected].
