Naples, Mt. Hall named top schools

BONNERS FERRY — Mount Hall and Naples Elementary were recently recognized as top schools in Idaho. Both earned Four-Star Ratings for the 2012-2013 school year.

Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna congratulated Principal Jim Nash in two letters, one to each school.

Luna wrote: “It is clear that you and your teachers, staff, parents and students are working hard every day to raise academic achievement. Thank you for your continued dedication to Idaho’s students...I’d love to visit your school to learn more and to congratulate you and your teachers and students personally.”

“Each one of the teachers have a unique thing they bring to the school,” said Nash. “The other outstanding thing is the family atmosphere.”

Mount Hall has always been high in academic achievement and in the 2007-2008 school year was given the Distinguished School Award said Nash. The award was because Mount Hall Elementary was in the top five percent of schools to close the achievement gap for economically disadvantaged students.

“We’ve been able to maintain that high achievement since then,” said Nash. “Four-Star Rating signifies a top school in Idaho.”

Naples Elementary school was in need of improvement a few years ago in language and they had a difficult time hitting the proficiency mark said Nash. Through hard work, they are now recognized as an outstanding school.

“We constantly monitor students to see how they do overall,” said Nash. “We provide additional help to kids who need it.”

The state’s new Five-Star Rating System sets a high bar for school and student achievement. The system uses multiple measures to provide an accurate picture of students’ academic proficiency.