By Wil Crews
BEAUREGARD —
Beauregard Elementary School was recently recognized as one of Alabama’s “High Flyer” schools in the state by Alabama.com, and as a “Best School” on a national level by US News and World Report.
The faculty and staff gathered Thursday afternoon for a surprise “emergency” staff meeting where they were acknowledged for their plaudits throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Beauregard Elementary Principal, Dr. Lisa Harris, presented the faculty and staff with new school shirts, Crumbl Cookies and sprite in champagne flutes.
According to US News and World Report, Beauregard Elementary ranks as the No. 1 elementary school in Lee County, testing “somewhat above” expectations and “well above” expectations in reading and math, respectively.
Despite the school serving a student population that includes a 59% portion of economically disadvantaged students, the exceeding of expectations can be partially attributed to Beauregard Elementary’s 16:1 teacher-to-student ratio, which is better than the average of the district, according to US News and World Report.
According to the Alabama.com article, Beauregard Elementary was selected as one of 43 schools awarded the “High Flyer” designation. Geographic location, student population and other knows facts about the school were considered in the selection process. After canvassing the state, Alabama.com determined that high flyer schools in Alabama have:
Teachers who have high expectations for students and are invested in their students’ academic success.
Teachers who take control of the things they can control.
Plentiful support to help teachers get better at both what they know and how to teach it.
Constant assessment of where students stand and what they need help with.
Leverage of strong community support.
A school earns its “High Flyer” designation based on these parameters:
School wide student poverty level of 48% or higher (756 schools), and
Spending less than $2,000 per student in local tax money during the 2018-19 school year (589 schools), and
Proficiency on spring 2021 math and English language arts tests at 120% of the statewide proficiency level for all grade levels tested in the school and all students:
120% of statewide math proficiency: 26.4%
120% of statewide ELA proficiency: 54.5%
For more on the “Best” schools designation: www.usnews.com/education/k12/alabama/beauregard-elementary-school-226234
For more on the High Flyer designation: www.al.com/news/2021/12/yes-there-are-high-poverty-public-schools-that-operate-at-a-high-level-in-alabama-heres-how-high-flyers-succeed.html