An AMIT religious high school in central Israel has taken the top spot in the country in the computer bagrut (matriculation) examination.

According to data which was released earlier this week by Dr. Avi Cohen, head of the Computer Studies department in the Ministry of Education, the Science Technological AMIT School in Kfar Batya Ra'anana came in first in the country. 100 per cent of the school's students who have taken the bagrut exam in computer studies have passed it (five study points) with excellence. The average grade of the school's students as a whole is 92.67.

In second place is the Rishonim high school in Herzliya, which averaged 92.5. Rounding out the top three is the Science and Torah Yeshiva in Jerusalem which scored an average of 89.27.

Most of the excelling schools are from the center of the country, with the only representatives in the south being Rogozin High School in Ashdod who came in 24th and AMIT high school in Be'er Sheva which took the 28th spot. Two of the top three schools are religious schools, including the AMIT Science School as well as Torah and Science Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

AMIT science School principal Rabbi Itamar Heikin congratulated Esti Apleboim, the teacher who helps prepare the students towards their computer studies exam. “This is a teacher who aspires to excellence and completeness. This attitude should be strengthened among teachers.” He noted that some of the students have also taken part this year in the 12th grade Weizmann Institution excellence program, through which they have handed in a computer studies project worth five study points.

“Our aspiration is to raise students who aspire to excellence in all their activities,” said Rabbi Heikin. “Not only computers but also giving, to the community and to the country. Many of our school's Computers and Physics graduates reach the elite technology units in the IDF - in the intelligence and other units as well.”