“What a great year” were the first words out of Windsor High School Principal Daniel Soderholm’s mouth when talking about the turnaround in the math department.

The new math test standards came out three years ago, and for two years Windsor students struggled, coming in with a pass rate of 60 percent and 58 percent, respectively, but this year, they unofficially shot up to a pass rate of 82 percent, which beats the benchmark of 70 and puts them in range to be fully accredited. The figure is also above the state average for math.

“It is all about the people,” Soderholm said. “We have a wonderful teaching staff who were committed to turning things around and engaging our students in meaningful lessons.”

Meanwhile, Carrsville Elementary and the Georgie D. Tyler Middle School are both well above the state average in many SOL pass rate percent categories, while Windsor Elementary is above the state SOL pass rate average in all except two categories.

System-wide, which includes the Smithfield and Carrollton schools as well, the mathematics pass rate is at 78 percent; English reading 80 percent; English writing 76 percent; science 86 percent; and history and social sciences 87 percent.

Superintendent Katrise Perera said chasing high test scores isn’t necessarily the goal for the system, as much as individual instruction is.

“The terrain of the SOLs is ever changing and educational research shows that it is important to focus on what your students need,” she said. “This will always remain the focus for educating our 21st century learners.”

Perera said expectations for students and staff are high.

“We have really worked to not allow the pursuit of educational excellence to just be a slogan. It is my belief that this motto is what truly motivates us as educators,” she said. “As superintendent it is my mission to provide the resources and professional development necessary to accomplish this goal to ensure our students are fully prepared for global success.”