Brighton is among the leading public school districts in Upstate, New York for high student performance.
Business First, a Buffalo journal, rated 430 schools in 48 Upstate counties. Brighton schools placed 3rd, while Pittsford schools topped the list at number one.
Schools were scored according to high school regents exams as well as elementary and middle school tests.
Kevin McGowan, superintendent of the Brighton School District, says the district assess its growth on those measures as well as some others.
"The ultimate outcome and measure being where our kids are going to pursue higher education or a career," McGowan says. "The type of success that they have, what they tell us when they come back [from college] and give us feedback on their K-12 experience."
Wednesday, Business First ranked Brighton schools as one of the top 10 affluent school districts in Upstate. McGowan attributes the student success to partnerships between parents, teachers and students.
Honeoye Falls-Lima, Penefield, West Irondequoit and Victor were ranked in the top 20 high performing school districts. The city school district was last on the list. A spokesperson from the district responded to the report with this statement.
"Every change we make in our system and every dollar we spend is focused on improving student achievement. It is our top priority. We know our children can learn and it is ultimately our responsibility to see that they do. But we will not be successful working in isolation. Our challenge is to engage our parents, our community and our partners so that everyone is focused on each child in Rochester receiving a high quality education."