Small rural schools tout their advantages

Leadore School has 75 students grades K-12 all in one building. This year there are four graduating seniors. There are seven first graders and only three juniors.

“It’s a great opportunity to be here” superintendent Michael Jacobson said. “The kids are wonderful, the teachers are wonderful, the community is loving and caring. You couldn’t ask for a better school district to work in.”

These small class sizes would be the envy of larger school districts. The teachers in Leadore recognize the advantage of small classes for teaching.

“So you know your children very well and you have them from year to year,
so you watch them progress and it’s wonderful,” first grade teacher Sharon Anderson said.

“I can help each one individually to be able to learn at their level and help to challenge them,” fifth grade teacher Melody Kauer said.

“I get to know he kids individually,” history teacher Kevin Ramsey said. “I get to work with them, help them with their strengths and then point out some weaknesses.”

“It’s a wonderful environment,” science teacher Shane Matson said. “I spend all my day teaching. I don’t have any problems with discipline.”

Students recognize the advantages too.

“Not having as many in a class means that the teacher has more time to help each student individually,” fifth grade student Sadie Bird said.

There are other advantages to going to Leadore School. Everyone makes it onto the sports teams, no one could get away with bullying even if they wanted to, and no one gets lost in the shuffle. Test scores are high.

Some high school students admit there’s not as much diversity in a small school and there are fewer students to date compared to bigger schools, but most of these students have never known anything other than Leadore School. They say the school may be small in size, but it’s huge in school spirit.