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Northside Middle School principal credits orientation, extracurriculars and targeted instruction for attendance and retention gains
Summary
Principal reported a roughly 90% retention inside grade levels, attendance gains (from ~84% to near 90%), growth on interim checkpoints and expanded extracurriculars including championship esports; he outlined restorative discipline and mentor support for new teachers.
The principal of Northside Middle School updated trustees on programming, enrollment and academic supports, saying the school has built retention and attendance through targeted outreach and extracurricular engagement.
Speaking about enrollment and retention, the principal said the school is "right about approximately 625" students now and projected possibly "maybe 650". He told the board retention within the school is around 90% and credited outreach such as fifth-grade orientation nights and a half-day 'Titan Camp' for easing transitions.
On academics, the principal described checkpoint benchmark testing that feeds into the iLearn summative assessment and said early data show progress in some grades. "Checkpoint 1 is a pilot year," he said, adding teachers use checkpoint data to identify students near proficiency for targeted retesting and interventions.
The principal highlighted a broad extracurricular slate — band and choir successes, a state champion esports program and a strengthened partnership with Ball State for practicum and content-liaison support. He said restorative practices, counselor-led supports and incentive programs such as a Titan store help reduce out-of-school suspensions; he reported OSS incidents fell from over 351 to about 230 year over year.
Board members asked for checkpoint results by grade; the principal agreed to share detailed checkpoint outcomes via email and said staff continue to refine implementation of the Amplify (science of reading) curriculum at the middle-school level. He closed by thanking board members for support of capital improvements such as the Northside gym renovation.
