Marcellus ranked sixth among Upstate districts for academics

The Buffalo-based business magazine, Business First, has ranked the Marcellus Central School District sixth in academic performance out of 53 public school districts in the six-county Syracuse region, and 23rd among all 430 districts across Upstate New York.

The Syracuse area rankings, which include school districts in Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego and Tompkins counties, were released Oct. 22. The magazine, Business First, will combine the separate rankings for eight regions into master rankings for all of Upstate New York and make that information available Friday, Oct. 26.

“We couldn’t be prouder of our outstanding staff and students for bringing home this badge of honor to the Marcellus community,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Craig J. Tice said. “And we’re fortunate to live in a region whose communities clearly put a premium on quality education.”

The magazine on Oct. 26 will release its “2012-2013 Guide to Upstate School Districts,” a 482-page electronic publication that will include full details of where districts rank.

Among the tidbits included in the full report are district rankings for teacher pay, affluence and administrative efficiency. With a combined wealth ratio (calculated using a district’s property and income wealth) of 0.577, Marcellus ranks 57th (out of 430 Upstate districts) in affluence. For efficiency, meanwhile, the district occupied the No. 48 spot, with a student-to-administrative-staffer ratio of 206.1. Teacher pay in Marcellus was ranked 76th.

“Our academic standing is even more remarkable when you take into account these economic factors,” Dr. Tice said.

Business First used a 192-part formula to generate the Syracuse area rankings, based on four years of standardized test scores from the New York State Education Department. The tests ranged from statewide exams for third-graders in English and math up to the full array of Regents exams for high school students.

Business First has issued annual performance ratings for schools in Western New York since 1992. It added yearly rankings for the Rochester Area in 2010 and launched the Upstate ratings in 2011.

The top 10 districts in the Syracuse area, according to the Business First rankings, are:

1. Fayetteville-Manlius (Onondaga County)
2. Skaneateles (Onondaga County)
3. Cazenovia (Madison County)
4. Westhill (Onondaga County)
5. Jamesville-DeWitt (Onondaga County)
6. Marcellus (Onondaga County)
7. Lansing (Tompkins County)
8. Fabius-Pompey (Onondaga County)
9. Baldwinsville (Onondaga County)
10. West Genesee (Onondaga County)