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Elementary summer school attendance nearly doubles; program focuses on foundational reading
Summary
Mr. Gillespie told the board Wildwood Elementary’s three-week summer program expanded to 176 attendees in 2026 and concentrated on foundational reading, partnerships and student celebrations; overall attendance rate was 76%.
Mr. Gillespie, who presented the elementary summer school recap, told the board the district ran a three-week session from June 1 to June 18 at Wildwood Elementary focused on foundational reading skills for students identified via MAP and FastBridge scores.
“We had 176 students that came to summer school,” Mr. Gillespie said, noting the program grew from 83 students in 2024 and that the district ran two sections per grade K–5 plus EL sections. He described partnerships with the Ralston Library and zoo visits, and said staff provided breakfasts and lunches during the program.
The program’s attendance rate over the three weeks was 76%, and staff and board members discussed barriers for younger-grade participation, including work schedules and limited aftercare. Mr. Gillespie said the initial round of invitations went to just under 400 students, with a second round of roughly 200 additional invites (about 600 invited in total). He and board members discussed whether extended drop-off/pick-up or wraparound care could increase attendance among working families.
The district tracked staff and student assignments and is considering better tracking tags for participants; staff noted summer staffing capacity limits and that adding subjects beyond reading (for example math) would require a longer day or different structure. The board thanked staff for the program’s expansion and discussed sharing lessons learned for future enrollment and outreach.
