City Honors School has been ranked the 35th best school in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. That’s a 15-spot increase from last year, when City Honors ranked 50th. The placement was based on both Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests.
“I’m proud of the hard working faculty and students of City Honors School for earning
this national recognition for academics. We have added academic rigor to classrooms all across the Buffalo Public School District, including expansion of the I.B. Program at City Honors School. This is a highly respected honor the entire City of Buffalo can be proud of,” said Buffalo Schools Superintendent Dr. James A. Williams.
Leonardo da Vinci High School was named a Bronze Medal winner for academic excellence, and it should be noted that their disadvantaged student ratio is a full 60 percent.
Leonardo da Vinci High School and City Honors School were two of the four schools in
Erie County to be honored for strong academics by the magazine. Leonardo da Vinci
High School is situated on the campus of D’Youville College in Buffalo and students can enroll in college level courses their sophomore year.
Adding academic rigor to classrooms all across the Buffalo Public School District has
been one of the main reasons why Mathematics and English Language Arts test scores
are rising among grade levels and why the District broke a record for scholarship money earned by graduating seniors: $20.1 million for the Class of 2008. The District’s “Contract for Excellence,” Academic Achievement Plan, and other academic initiatives have resulted in the following programs and achievements:
• Expansion of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program to the
Stanley Makowski Early Childhood Center School #99 (candidate school)
• Mathematics test scores up 96-percent over a two-year period
• English Language Arts test scores up 43-percent over a two year period
• Expansion of foreign language programs to include Mandarin Chinese and Latin
• Extension of the school day one hour and school year by 20 days at 17 schools
• Increased Advanced Placement (AP) courses from 14-to-146 across the District
• All B.P.S. High Schools now offer AP courses
• Creation of two College Board Schools with an intensive college preparatory
curriculum: The International Preparatory School at Grover and Math Science
Technology Preparatory School at Seneca
• Uniforms worn at 31 schools across the District
“Let our shining examples of academic rigor and this national recognition for two of our schools be a wake-up call for this community: the Buffalo Public School District is on the rise and is a wise investment for students and families. We can compete with the best here at home and across the country,” added Superintendent Williams.
Photograph by Chuck LaChiusa