(La Porte County, IN) - A local grade school once on the verge of closing is receiving national recognition.

 

Kingsford Heights Elementary is among a handful of schools still in the running for a national award for things like academic achievement.

 

Recently, the school received from the Indiana Department of Education a certificate recognizing the school as a National ESEA Distinguished School nominee.

 

La Porte Schools Superintendent Dr. Sandra Wood said the school is a top 5 finalist for the award, “which is an extraordinary achievement in a Title 1 setting.”  Title 1 schools receive federal dollars intended to help students in low income communities meet challenging academic standards and assist students falling behind or at-risk of falling behind.

 

Eligibility is often based on the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch with a common threshold being 40%. 

 

The school was targeted for closure last year to reduce costs in response to revenue losses from over 10 years of gradual districtwide enrollment declines.

 

After considerable push back from the community, the school was kept open and Lincoln Elementary School, instead, was closed.