A winding road is all that leads to the northern Idaho town of Avery.Nestled among the beautiful scenery just east of St. Maries sits the Avery School District, which consists of one school building, two full-time teachers, and 12 students currently enrolled in grades K-8.
Since taking office in 2007, Superintendent Luna has visited more than 200 schools 78 school districts across Idaho. Avery was No. 79.
It’s one of Idaho’s smallest and most remote school districts. It’s also the last district in northern Idaho he hadn’t yet visited.
The Avery school is a solid two hours from Coeur d’Alene and hour-long drive from St. Maries. But it’s one of the most beautiful drives you’ll ever take along the St. Joe River. Along the way, you see mountains, meadows, elk, and deer.
Despite its geographic challenges, Avery is like any other school. The superintendent, teachers and other staff are dedicated to the students and raising their achievement. The students are hard at work.
And these students have big dreams.
The students in Avery dream of being zoologists, veterinarians, mechanics, herbologists, doctors, writers, and Marines. And they all want to go on to postsecondary education after high school.
While they understand their rural school faces some challenges, such as connectivity, these students recognize the many advantages they have of attending a school so small.
In such a close-knit community, everyone makes sure these students are succeeding in school, one student said.
Another student said he gets one-on-one time with his teachers each and every day in every subject area. That’s something he knows he probably couldn’t get in a larger classroom setting.
What’s even better: Avery students are performing well. More than half the students scored advanced. Those are amazing results!
~ Melissa M.
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