It's an eight-peat.
Once again, the Bemus Point Central School District has been named the top school district in Chautauqua County by Business First, which released its 2009 rankings recently.
Bemus Point was ranked 10th overall in the eight-county Western New York region by the publication, which bases its rankings on analysis of four years of test data compiled by the state Education Department. The district rating reflects the collective performance of elementary, middle and high schools - Bemus Point topped the region's middle and high schools while ranking fourth among elementary schools.
''It's an honor for the entire community to have this consistency and success,'' Al D'Attilio, Bemus Point superintendent, said. ''This is continued evidence of the strength of the program, and also the efforts of our students and the support of the community.''
There are 97 public school districts in the Western New York region, which includes Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties.
Bemus Point has ranked the highest among area schools each year since 2002. D'Attilio said the district's fiscal responsibility is also to be noticed in its year-to-year high ranking.
''We have had an extremely low cost-per-student, and our cost effectiveness is very high in the Business First rankings,'' he said. ''We are running about 20 to 25 percent lower than the statewide average, and of course our tax rate is extremely low.''
Also among Business First's ''honor roll'' of school districts for the second consecutive year is the Southwestern Central School District, which was ranked 15th. Five other area school districts placed in the top half of the rankings - Chautauqua Lake was 22nd, Fredonia was 28th, Sherman was 29th, Westfield was 31st and Clymer was 47th.
Business First also generated a series of specialized ratings to further examine school performance. Sherman Central School was named the publication's biggest overachiever for the second straight year. ''Overachievement'' is based upon strong academic records with a substantial number of students living in poverty. Westfield, Clymer and Pine Valley - fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively - also placed in the publication's top 10 overachievers.
''We may not be rich, but we have strong family values,'' Tom Schmidt, Sherman superintendent, told Business First. ''Our parents really care about their children's education. There's something to be said for having everyone in a K-12 building, with the strong sense of community that it brings.''
Chautauqua Lake was honored as Business First's No. 1 school district for teacher experience. Westfield, which took the top spot in the category in 2008, settled in at No. 2. Fredonia (fifth) and Bemus Point (ninth) were also given top 10 rankings.
Clymer was honored as Business First's second-place school in the student access category, which ranks districts on students' ability to connect with teachers and other educators. Dunkirk (third), Ripley (seventh), Brocton (eighth) and Chautauqua Lake (10th) also placed in the top 10 in that category.
D'Attilio said the entire area should be proud of the level of education offered by its school districts.
''I am familiar with the school programs throughout the area, and I'm familiar with how hard staffs and administration teams and school boards work,'' he said. ''I do see comparisons that come out of the state report card information that show how effective all school districts are when you look at the total configuration of the state.''
