Midlakes Schools are kicking off the new year with a major boost in student proficiency — and some numbers that far outpace the state average.
The district reported gains across all state-rated areas: English Language Arts (ELA) and Math, for both Grades 3–6 and Grades 7–8. The largest jump came in elementary ELA, where the percentage of students reaching proficiency rose from 28% to 43% — a 15-point leap that nearly doubled the statewide improvement.
“This all ties back to how we use time,” said Superintendent Nick Ganster. “Our staff laid solid groundwork, but those lessons were reinforced by families outside of the school day.”
Focused curriculum and family support
Teachers and administrators credited consistent instruction, new curriculum tools, and family engagement for the progress.
“As a building we have made teaching to the standards our priority,” said Elementary Principal Chris Moyer. “This has required a dedicated approach to providing a guaranteed and viable curriculum.”
At the elementary level, the district uses Reading Horizons and the American Reading Company to build reading foundations. The Reading Horizons program, used through third grade, focuses on decoding skills.
“We learned that our brains are not wired to read — we have to train them,” said interventionist Donna Aceto, who has worked in the district for 28 years. “The ‘Ah-Ha!’ moment came when we changed our approach and curriculum. We did a nice job looking at the science in terms of how kids are learning to read.”
Middle school students also saw big improvements. ELA proficiency in Grades 7–8 rose to 49%, up from 34% last year — a 15-point increase compared to less than a one-point gain statewide.
“We have good measures to flag kids who need support,” said interventionist Emily Mischler, who has 25 years of experience. “No kids are being overlooked.”
She said Midlakes offers reading help for students even above the typical cutoff for intervention. “We can reach those kids with tier two needs who need a little extra support to approach fluency.”
Math scores climb, but room to grow
While ELA growth outpaced Math, Midlakes still posted strong numbers — especially in middle school.
In Grades 7–8, Math proficiency rose from 38% to 51%, a 13-point gain. That’s more than four times the statewide average increase of 2.5%.
In Grades 3–6, 34% of students reached proficiency — up six points from the previous year. The state average improvement for this group was just 3%.
“Parents and students spent time working and drilling to help improve their skills,” Ganster said. “Our mathematics and reading programs, along with our intervention strategies, have helped bring us to this point together.”
Graduation rates and next steps
These early academic gains feed directly into long-term success. Midlakes’ graduation rate recently surpassed 95%.
To build on the momentum, teachers are already developing new benchmarks to track progress during the year — not just at the end.
“We continue to explore new resources that can strengthen our instruction,” Moyer said. “I am extremely proud of the hard work that the students and staff have put into reaching our goals.”
For veteran staff like Aceto, the results reflect years of growth and change.
“It has been special to see the growth over my 28 years here,” she said. “I feel lucky to have been a part of it.”
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