GUILFORD — Among Maine’s 219 elementary institutions, Piscataquis Community Elementary School was ranked 30th by US News & World Report. During a month of November
GUILFORD — Among Maine’s 219 elementary institutions, Piscataquis Community Elementary School was ranked 30th by US News & World Report.
During a Nov. 14 SAD 4 School Board meeting, PCES Director Anita Wright said she received an email less than an hour earlier informing her of the designation. She said she needed to learn more about what the ranking means, but she said PCES was tied for 33rd in math proficiency and tied for 51st in reading proficiency in the state. The school has an overall score of 86.7 on a scale of up to 100.
According to a US News & World Report article published on the SAD 4 website, the 2024 Best Elementary and Secondary Schools rankings evaluate student performance in the context of their states and demographics with data based on the academic years 2020-21 and 2021-22. Those who made the rankings examined only publicly available, standardized data that state governments are required by law to report annually to the U.S. Department of Education. Schools are ranked based on their performance on state-required tests, their graduation, and what how well they prepare their students for high school (https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/elementary-schools/maine).
“Certainly, non-academic factors also matter when evaluating schools, but in this space we are measuring what can be measured fairly, and the academic performance of their children’s schools is generally of great importance to families,” he says. Article.
US News & World Report says PCES is located in a remote rural setting with a student population of 269 from preschool through sixth grade. Eighty-seven percent of students scored at or above the proficient level in mathematics, and 87 percent scored at or above the proficient level in mathematics. above that reading level.
PCES performed better in math and better in reading on this metric compared to students statewide. In Maine, 84 percent of students scored at or above the proficient level in reading, and 81 percent scored at or above that level in math.
The high PCES ranking earned the school eligibility to display a US News Best Elementary Schools award badge.
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