Chassidic girls’ school ranks high in exam results

MONTREAL — A small chassidic girls school in Outremont has been ranked second in terms of academic success, among private high schools in the province, by the Quebec education ministry, according to its annual publication of final exam results.

The Skver Community School earned that position among 154 institutions by virtue of its senior students’ performance in some of the June 2011 uniform exams.

On the total of 28 exams taken, the girls had an average mark of 85.5 per cent and a 100 per cent pass rate.

The No. 1 ranked private school is The Study, also a girls school.

The ministry bases its rankings on five Secondary V language course exams in English and French as a first or second language. In previous years, the ministry also took into account results in other subjects, namely mathematics, physical science and Quebec and Canadian history.

Another small Orthodox school also did very well: First Mesifta of Canada is ranked eighth on the basis of the 83.1 per cent average and 100 pass rate its students achieved on the 12 exams its students wrote.

Of the mainstream Jewish day schools, Hebrew Academy fares the best, coming in 10th with an 82.2 per cent average and no failures on 90 exams.

Next, at 16th, is Herzliah High School, Snowdon campus (English section), with an 81.3 per cent average and no failures on 29 exams.

The larger French section on the campus comes in 25th with a 79.8 per cent average and no failures on 60 exams.

Herzliah’s St. Laurent campus, since merged at Snowdon, is ranked 32nd, with a 75.7 per cent average and 100 per cent pass rate on 62 exams.

The largest Jewish high school, Bialik, is 28th, with a 78.6 per cent average and 100 per cent pass rate on 158 exams. Bialik also has a French section, but only four exams were written by its students.

Beth Rivkah Academy, a girls school under Lubavitch auspices, is right behind at 29th with a 77.9 per cent average and no failures on 61 exams.

The two campuses of École Maïmonide have divergent rankings: Parkhaven comes out at 27th with a 79.3 per cent average and zero failures on 38 exams, but the Jacob Safra campus is put in the 90th spot with an 82.6 per cent average and 97.9 per cent success rate on 47 exams.

The Belz Community School, another chassidic institution, placed 35th with 74.4 per cent average and no failures on 56 exams.

From there, the Jewish schools’ rankings drop off, as follows (average mark, pass rate, and number of exams taken in brackets):

• 107th, Yeshiva Gedola Merkaz Hatorah (73.5, 97, 33);

• 108th, Académie Yéshiva Yavné (83.2, 96.9, 32);

• 113th, Beth Jacob School, English section (80.3, 96.8, 93);

• 149th, Beth Jacob School, French section (71.1, 71.4, 7);

• 152nd, Beth Esther Academy (42.3, 23.8, 21).

The last school, which was founded by the Satmar Chassidim, has been the subject of ministerial review in recent years over compliance with the compulsory curriculum and the qualifications of its staff.

The ministry report tabulates the exam results of all 570 high schools, public and private, in the province. The average exam mark for all of them was 75.4 per cent (74.1 in the public sector, 79.9 in the private).

The overall success rate average was 93.2 per cent (91.8 in the public and 98.1 in the private).

The ministry report is available at www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/sections/publications/publications/EPEPS/Sanction_etudes/Rapport-epreuves_2011_a.pdf.