Veazie, Maine, a tiny town sandwiched between Bangor and Orono, has proven size doesn’t matter.
The town’s K-8 school has been named the best in the country – in the face of Maine’s disastrously failing schools, no less.
Veazie Community School, where cops greet the kids arriving every morning and going home each afternoon, received the honor from Education Insider Magazine.
The school’s focus on academic achievement is the key to its success, the magazine says.
“Our success stems from staying clear and focused on what matters most,” says Timothy Tweedie, superintendent and principal. “We have students with high aspirations, and we have staff who remain steadfast in taking them as far as they absolutely can from an academic standpoint,”
His confidence is grounded in results.
In state assessments, Veazie students far outperform Maine averages across reading, math, and science, sometimes nearly doubling state benchmarks.
Graduation rates for students who began their education at the school exceed 98 percent, compared to the state’s 87 percent.
In the most recent assessment, 79 percent of Veazie students met or exceeded expectations in reading, compared to 63.8 percent statewide.
In math, 74 percent of its students reached the benchmark, while only 49.4 percent statewide did.
Similarly, 77 percent of fifth- and eighth-graders met expectations in the Maine State Science Assessment – more than double the 36.2 percent statewide.
Failed Maine Schools No Match For Veazie’s ‘Best K-8 In U.S.’
By Ted Cohen
