At the July 10 Committee of the Whole, Sharon Thomas, principal of Cedar Crest Elementary, presented school performance data and a summary of initiatives that district leaders said helped drive student gains.

Thomas told the board Cedar Crest serves 658 students from pre-K through fifth grade, with three pre-K classes. She said 92 percent of students are economically disadvantaged; 53 percent are African American and 38.1 percent Hispanic. The school has a gifted resource pull-out model and a robust English-language-learner program; 32 percent of students are identified as English language learners.

Thomas said Cedar Crest has been labeled a “school of excellence” for the last three years and reported growth in the school performance score: an increase from 59.2 in 2022 to about 61.5 in a more recent year, and overall gains in assessment indexes. She said the percentage of students scoring in the mastery or advanced categories for ELA, math and science rose from 20 percent to 24 percent year over year and that the school’s DIBELS data showed improvement in K–3: from 34 percent at the beginning of the year to 61 percent at year’s end, based on 411 students tested.

Thomas credited a 97 percent teacher retention rate as a contributing factor and thanked staff. Board members asked clarifying questions about the English-language assessment and staffing. Superintendent Cole and staff told the board they plan a robust district presentation on full test data at the August Committee of the Whole once all state data are released.