St. John Fisher University Named Apple Distinguished School for Second Term

St. John Fisher University sits four miles from Pittsford's village center on East Avenue. A lot of Pittsford residents have a direct connection — a child enrolled there, a neighbor who teaches, a friend who works on campus. This fall, Fisher earned its second consecutive Apple Distinguished School designation, covering the 2026-2029 term. The first came in 2022.

Fisher Earns Second Consecutive Apple Distinguished School Designation

Fisher Earns Second Consecutive Apple Distinguished School Designation

The Apple Distinguished Schools program recognizes more than 1,100 schools across 41 countries and regions worldwide. It is invitation-only and requires a documented one-to-one device program, faculty proficiency, and demonstrated academic results. Earning the designation a second time means Fisher sustained all of that through a full three-year term and earned it again.

"I am proud to see St. John Fisher University recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for the second time."

— Katie Sabourin, assistant vice president of digital learning, St. John Fisher University

The iFisher Initiative Behind the St. John Fisher Apple Distinguished School Recognition

The iFisher Initiative Behind the St. John Fisher Apple Distinguished School Recognition

The program behind the recognition is called iFisher. It launched in fall 2020 with faculty. By fall 2021, it had expanded to every undergraduate: each student receives an iPad, keyboard case, and Apple Pencil, according to Rochester Business Journal coverage of the first designation.

More than 480 faculty and staff have completed Fisher Apple Academy training, and more than 300 hold Apple Certified Teacher recognition — a credential requiring demonstrated classroom application, according to Fisher's announcement.

Provost Kevin Railey, when Fisher first received the designation in 2022, told the Rochester Business Journal he was "deeply gratified by the ways in which our faculty have embraced this initiative and applied new skills and methods in our classrooms." Faculty enrollment in the program has continued to grow since.

Technology Visible Across the Fisher Campus

Technology Visible Across the Fisher Campus

Fisher has renovated more than 18,000 square feet of campus learning spaces as part of the initiative, according to Fisher's announcement. That scope of renovation signals something beyond a device distribution program — it reflects an institutional decision about how the physical campus should support the way students learn.

For the Pittsford community, an institution this invested in how it teaches has a practical benefit. The students who graduate from Fisher carry credentials shaped by that investment. Faculty and staff who work there live in the neighborhoods around East Avenue. The work Fisher is doing in its classrooms does not stay behind the campus gates.

Fisher's Apple Distinguished School designation runs through 2029.