Houston Upper Elementary on quest to help district achieve an A rating

HOUSTON, MISS. (WCBI) – An elementary school in Northeast Mississippi received a top rating for the first time, and is now on a quest to help the entire district achieve the big honor.

From motivational posters in the hallways, to encouraging students in class.

Excellence is expected and celebrated at Houston Upper Elementary School.

The school was given an A rating in the most recent state rankings. It is also the first time a school in the district has achieved the top honor.

“Took a lot of hard work and effort, all credit goes to faculty staff and students,” said Principal Trevor Hampton.

Hampton is in his fourth year as principal. From his first day on campus, Hampton challenged teachers, staff and students to work hard and achieve more.

“We started with mindset A rating was achievable, like I said, something never been done, so why not us, why not us be the first.  We focus on high-quality teaching and learning every day in class,” said Hampton.

Now that the A rating has been achieved, the goal is to continue the momentum, through motivation, dedication and teamwork.

“Everybody has to do their part from the administration, on down, we put in a great amount of effort, time and students do too and I think the most important thing we have done is students have taken ownership of their learning, they know where they are at any given point,” said fifth-grade inclusion teacher Patricia Geiss.

Geiss said it’s exciting to be part of a winning team and going forward, the next goal is to help the district receive the coveted A rating.

In the past four years, Houston School District has seen a 130 point increase in the statewide accountability model. That puts the district in the top 30 percent of the state.