F-M named first in Syracuse Area for academics; second in Upstate

For the 10th consecutive year, the Fayetteville-Manlius School District maintained its number two ranking in academics out of 430 Upstate public school districts, according to a Buffalo-based business magazine.

In the Syracuse Area, which includes 54 school districts within Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego and Tompkins counties, F-M ranked first.

On Oct. 5, the magazine, Business First, released the 2020 Upstate rankings of public school districts, which encompasses 48 New York state counties, excluding the New York City area. 

To determine a district’s annual score, Business First’s rating formula has 200 components and analyzes 50 statistical indicators from 2016-2019, including grades 3-8 student performance on statewide English and math tests, Regents exam results, four Common Core exams and graduation rates.

The magazine also ranked Upstate districts in subject areas. F-M placed number one in science, second in the mathematics and English language arts categories and 10th in social studies.

The magazine again ranked the Pittsford School District, located in suburban Rochester, number one for academics in Upstate. The complete list of Upstate rankings is available online at the Business First website.

The Business First analysis has issued annual performance ratings for public schools in Western New York since 1992 and began ranking public Upstate districts in 2011.