The Georgia Department of Education (DOE) has announced that Flint Hill Elementary School (FHES) has met the exit criteria and is no longer on the state’s Focus List. Flint Hill had been named a 2015 Focus School because of an achievement gap that existed at that time between the school’s highest and lowest performing subgroups.

“We are very excited to have met the criteria for exiting the Focus List,” Dr. Lynne DiNardo, principal of Flint Hill Elementary School, said. “The teachers and students have worked hard to make increasing student achievement at Flint Hill Elementary School a priority. Moving forward we will strive to sustain continued growth.”

According to the 2015 formula, the state calculated a three-year average of each school’s College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) Achievement Gap score. The schools were then ranked based on their three-year average of the CCRPI Achievement Gap Score, with the lowest 10 percent of Title I schools being listed as Focus Schools. FHES was one of 165 schools placed on the 2015 Focus list.

“Every school that made the necessary improvements to exit Priority or Focus School status deserves to be commended,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “The ongoing work of these schools, coupled with supports from our school and district effectiveness staff at GaDOE, continues to move the needle and prove that underperforming schools can improve, even when they face difficult odds.”

“Congratulations to the Flint Hill Elementary School team; their laser-like focus on improvement resulted in increased student outcomes, thereby removing them from the classification of ‘Focus School,’” Samantha Fuhrey, superintendent of Newton County School System (NCSS) said. “I am so proud of the Flint Hill team’s innovation, hard work, and commitment to our students, families, and community.”