By G. SCOTT THOMAS
sthomas@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1618

Western New York's private schools are always planning a year ahead.

The 2011-12 academic year has just begun, but work is already under way for 2012-13. The region's private schools will be conducting open houses later this month and in early October, the first step in their annual recruitment process.

This edition of Business First provides a directory to help parents and students who will soon be entering the recruitment maze. The directory includes academic rankings and basic information for private schools throughout Erie and Niagara counties, as well as institutions in the six outlying counties that participate in the New York State Education Department's testing program.

Two private schools lead their respective categories in Business First's latest academic rankings, which were issued in June.

• Nardin Academy High School is No. 1 out of 133 private and public high schools across Western New York, its fifth straight year in that position.

• Southern Tier Catholic School of Olean occupies first place among the region's 280 private and public elementary schools, the second consecutive year it has held that distinction.

The directory in this edition includes two ranks for each school — its overall position among all schools (public and private), as well its rank among private schools alone. Ratings on a five-star scale are also given for performances in individual subjects, such as English and math. (A few private schools do not participate in the statewide testing program, and hence are not rated.)

Top-to-bottom rankings and complete information about the rating formulas can be found in Business First's 2011-12 Guide to Western New York Schools, which can be purchased by calling 716-541-1638.

The following directory includes profiles of elementary schools and high schools, since those are the levels at which most students enter the private education system. Academic profiles that cover the middle school years have been excluded from this edition because of space considerations, but they can be found in the Guide to Western New York Schools.

The following is a quick summary of the top 10 private schools in all three categories:

High schools (grades 9-12)

Girls hold the academic edge at the secondary school level.

Three all-female institutions are the top-rated private high schools in Western New York: Nardin Academy, Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart and Mount St. Mary Academy.

Nardin has been No. 1 on the overall list ever since Business First combined its rankings of private and public high schools in 2007. Sacred Heart climbed to second place in the overall standings this year, its best finish ever. Three other private schools made the top 10 among all 133 public and private entries: Mount St. Mary (eighth), Christian Central Academy (ninth) and Notre Dame of Batavia (10th).

Ten private schools rank among the 26 best high schools in the region. Each is followed by the district in which it is located, as well as its overall ranking among public and private schools:

1. Nardin Academy High School (Buffalo), 1st overall

2. Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart (Amherst), 2nd

3. Mount St. Mary Academy (Kenmore-Tonawanda), 8th

4. Christian Central Academy (Williamsville), 9th

5. Notre Dame High School (Batavia), 10th

6. St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute (Kenmore-Tonawanda), 11th

7. St. Francis High School (Frontier), 15th

8. Holy Angels Academy (Buffalo), 18th

9. Immaculata Academy (Frontier), 20th

10. St. Mary's High School (Lancaster), 26th

Middle schools (grades 5-8)

Public schools have dominated this category ever since it was added to Business First's annual rankings in 2002. No private school has ever been No. 1.

But Christ the King School has come awfully close. The Catholic school in Amherst is currently fourth on the overall middle school list, down from second place a year ago.

This category is not a perfect fit for private schools. Public middle schools typically encompass sixth through eighth grades, though some begin with fifth grade. But middle schools are rare on the nonpublic side. Most private elementary schools span from kindergarten through eighth grade, which means that they're rated twice — once as a middle school (using eighth-grade test results) and once as an elementary school (based on fourth-grade tests).

A total of 210 schools were included in this year's middle school rankings. Ten of the top 16 are private schools. Here's the list:

1. Christ the King School (Amherst), 4th overall

2. Kadimah School of Buffalo (Amherst), 5th

3. St. Mark's School (Buffalo), 6th

4. Stella Niagara Education Park (Lewiston-Porter), 7th

5. St. Peter School (Lewiston-Porter), 8th

6. St. John Vianney School (Orchard Park), 11th

7. St. Christopher's School (Sweet Home), 12th

8. Christian Central Academy (Williamsville), 13th

9. St. Gregory the Great School (Williamsville), 14th

10. St. Leo the Great School (Sweet Home), 16th

Elementary schools (grades K-4)

It came as a bit of a surprise when Southern Tier Catholic School vaulted to first place in the overall elementary school rankings in 2010.

But it wasn't a fluke. Southern Tier Catholic repeated as the category's leader this year, finishing as the only private school in the overall top five. A total of 280 public and private schools were rated.

Four other private elementary schools made the category's top 10 — and five more joined the top 20. The following are the 10 top-rated private schools:

1. Southern Tier Catholic School (Olean), 1st overall

2. St. Gregory the Great School (Williamsville), 6th

3. St. John Lutheran School (Niagara-Wheatfield), 7th

4. Nardin Academy Elementary School (Buffalo), 8th

5. St. John Vianney School (Orchard Park), 10th

6. Christ the King School (Amherst), 12th

7. Christian Central Academy (Williamsville), 14th

8. St. Bernadette School (Orchard Park), 15th

9. Immaculate Conception School (Wellsville), 18th

10. St. Stephen School (Grand Island), 20th