An article that appeared in the New York Times on Sunday, Jan. 16, listed statistics on high school seniors from the New York region who graduate and move on to attend Ivy League schools, which are a small group of private universities that enjoy a reputation for providing excellent education and attract top students, according to admissionconsultants.com. The Ivy League schools are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, University of Penn, Princeton University and Yale University.

The article compared four private high schools to four public high schools in the New York region and their rate of admission. The four private schools mentioned were Saint Ann's in Brooklyn, with a tuition of $21,500 and 36 percent of students admitted to Ivy League schools in the fall of 2004; Collegiate in Manhattan with a tuition of $24,300 and 34 percent of students admitted to Ivy League schools in the fall of 2004; Fieldston in the Bronx with a tuition of $25,300 and 29 percent of students admitted to Ivy League schools in the fall of 2004 and Hopkins in New Haven with a tuition of $22,825 and 27 percent of students admitted to Ivy League schools in the fall of 2004.

The four public schools mentioned in the article included Jericho High School among the impressive statistics. The schools cited were Hunter College High in Manhattan, which students have to test in for admittance, with 29 percent of students admitted to Ivy League schools in the fall of 2004; Stuyvesant High in Manhattan, which students have to test in for admittance, with 18 percent of students admitted to Ivy League schools in the fall of 2004; Jericho High School with 16 percent of students admitted to Ivy League schools in the fall of 2004 and Staples High in Westport, Connecticut with 5 percent of students admitted to Ivy League schools in the fall of 2004.

"Our kids continue to be accepted at the best colleges and universities in the country and we are very proud of that achievement," said Hank Grishman, superintendent of Jericho Schools. "Our kids work hard toward that goal, our staff supports them and the community supports the process as well. Everybody working together is what results in our kids getting accepted to the best colleges and universities. We are very proud of the achievements of our kids, the efforts of our staff and the support that we get from the community."

-Denise Nash