Praise for Pentucket Lake! Mayor James J. Fiorentini and Superintendent Margaret Marotta headed to Haverhill’s Pentucket Lake Elementary School Friday to congratulate students and staff for receiving the city’s top performance score on the statewide MCAS test for the 2018 school year.
Pentucket Lake, overseen by Principal Maureen Gray, also received high marks for growth, which measures year-over-year improvement. For their achievement, Fiorentini issued the school a Mayor’s Excellence in Education Award Friday.
For the first time since 2012, there are no Haverhill public schools that are considered under-performing or in need of state assistance or oversight. As WHAV reported last week when the MCAS results were issued, city and school officials credited higher school spending, improved student attendance and increased emphasis on students with learning challenges for the boost.
“We have made a big investment in our schools by increasing the city’s contribution to the school budget by almost $19 million over the past four years,” Fiorentini said, adding, “I’m pleased to see it paying off.”