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Fine Arts Academy principal reports rising enrollment, 'Leader in Me' rollout and improvements in math and ELA scores
Summary
Tristan Shorebaugh, principal of the Fine Arts Academy (grades 4–8), told the Atascadero Unified School District board the site is back to pre‑COVID enrollment (~240 students), showed state testing gains (approx. 48% math proficiency, 58% ELA), reported chronic absenteeism at about 7.5% and described PBIS and Leader in Me implementation.
Tristan Shorebaugh, principal of the Fine Arts Academy, briefed trustees on the school’s academics, attendance and culture work, saying enrollment has returned to pre‑COVID levels and the campus is using arts integration to support both engagement and academics.
Shorebaugh said the Fine Arts Academy serves about 240 students in grades 4 through 8 and operates an afternoon arts elective model built on a morning accelerated academic block. He reported California state test results showing roughly 48 percent of students met or exceeded standards in math and about 58 percent were proficient or advanced in English Language Arts. Shorebaugh emphasized that while those rates are below 100 percent they compare favorably to statewide norms for the district’s student cohort.
The principal described instructional adjustments to improve outcomes, including adopting new district curriculum in grades 6–8, Friday afternoon intervention blocks and using instructional aides for push‑in small‑group support. He said staff are employing small improvement cycles to refine instruction and are using a 2‑by‑10 relationship strategy (two minutes a day for 10 days) to strengthen teacher‑student rapport.
On school climate, Shorebaugh said the campus launched a RISE boot camp (Respect, Integrity, Safety, Empathy) and distributed 150 awards at the recent fall assembly. Shorebaugh said chronic absenteeism is roughly 7.5 percent (about 18 students) and average daily attendance is near 95.5 percent; attendance is monitored twice monthly with family outreach and a PBIS team focused on positive reinforcement and visibility of expectations. The school earned a state bronze recognition for PBIS last year and aims for silver by year‑end.
Shorebaugh also outlined family engagement and school‑choice activity: more than 50 families have applied for the school during open enrollment, and weekly campus tours have more than 60 RSVPs.
Trustees asked about Leader in Me implementation; Shorebaugh said this is the program’s first full year at the campus and teachers and students are still learning the lessons but staff reported strong buy‑in.
Why it matters: The presentation gives trustees a mid‑year snapshot of a school of choice model that integrates arts and academics; the information is relevant to resource allocation, program replication and the district’s LCAP goals on academics and climate.
Next steps: Shorebaugh and his instructional leadership team will continue small change cycles, monitor intervention outcomes and report progress to the board.
