Business First ranks St. Stephen No. 1 on GI

Grand Island Dispatch, June 15, 2007

Students at St. Stephen School proudly display awards received at a June 11 ceremony honoring students in grades kindergarten through third grade for academic achievements and positive character traits. St. Stephen’s was recently recognized by Business First with the highest rankings of all Grand Island schools for elementary and middle school academic performance.

When Buffalo’s Business First newspaper released the annual rankings for Western New York schools earlier this month, it was good news for St. Stephen School. The Grand Island Catholic school was ranked 28th of 290 elementary schools in Western New York, placing St. Stephen in the top 10 percent. Of 207 middle schools, St. Stephen was ranked in the top 12 percent, at 25th.

For the first time since 1992 – when Business First began ranking the academic performance of Western New York schools – public and private schools were ranked together. St. Stephen’s ranking was the highest of all schools on Grand Island, and also topped rankings earned by the majority of schools in the surrounding Kenmore-Tonawanda and Niagara Falls region.

The Business First rankings were based on New York State Education Department data from the past four years, with the greatest weight given to statewide test scores from 2006. One half of each school’s rating was based on its students’ scores on the New York State English Language Arts test, the other half on scores from the state math test.

St. Stephen School Principal Donna Ende credits the entire school community for the school’s success.

“Once again, we have proven that working together as a family – that is parents, students and teachers – we can achieve wonderful things,” she said.

St. Stephen School began educating Grand Island children in 1967, and offers a pre-kindergarten through eighth grade curriculum. The school boasts state-of-the-art computer technology, including Internet access in all classrooms. In 2006, a separate early childhood center opened on the school’s Baseline Road campus to house the school’s pre-kindergarten programs.

St. Stephen’s additionally offers an after-school program, and this year, for the first time, will offer a summer day camp.