James Pharr

For the FCT

In today’s society, good news about public education is often hard to find. Fortunately, residents of Vina do not have to look too far any longer.

Each spring, the state of Alabama uses standardized tests to determine the proficiency levels of students in grades 3 – 8 and in grade 11. Results from the assessments are reported for each school system and ranked at an individual school level based on the calculations of student scores.

According to the website www.localschooldirectory.com, Vina Elementary School was ranked number one in the state in the “City Rankings” category. The school was also ranked number 10 in the “School Rankings” category.

In the spring of 2010, Vina Elementary students scored at a 97.39 percentile level.

More detailed rankings found on the www.schooldigger.com site revealed that several grade levels at Vina Elementary tied for number one in the state in 2010 and 2011 with 100 percent proficiency.

Although the middle school and high school rankings were not as high, students in those grade levels also made an impressive showing compared to other Northwest Alabama schools.

A third website, www.greatschools.org, gave Vina School a “Great Schools Rating” of eight out of 10 based on a variety of educational and community indicators.

Principal James Pharr recently shared the articles with a well-deserved faculty.

Pharr credits the honor to the diligence of his teachers, parents, and students.

“It takes every person doing their part to make a school successful,” Pharr said.

“I also want to recognize the strong leadership of Superintendent Gary Williams, Board Member Randy Hester and the Franklin County Board of Education for the support they provide to the school.”

For more information about Vina School, visit the school’s webpage at http://vina.al.fch.schoolinsites.com.