The #MiddletownRI schools got outstanding news this week - every school in the district is at least three stars, with Aquidneck School four stars. Education officials were pleased, but said there's more work to be done for positive outcomes for students.
MIDDLETOWN SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO CLIMB
MIDDLETOWN, RI (NOVEMBER 7, 2025) – The Middletown schools continue their forward march.
Late Wednesday, Superintendent Billy Niemeyer learned the district got another boost of good news — every school in Middletown was ranked at least three stars and Aquidneck Elementary School was four stars, according to statewide accountability testing.
“I got a call from the Commissioner (of Education Angélica Infante-Green) with a heads up about the good news,” Niemeyer said. “She was very congratulatory. I can’t tell you how much that means to me and the district. We’ve put strategic systems in place to make improvements and it’s good to see the results show in our data.”
“We said it with the last round of test scores that showed improvements in so many areas,” Assistant Superintendent Michelle Fonseca added. “They’re one measure of how we’re doing as a district, but there’s a lot more that goes into education than these metrics. We’re aware of that and we’re going to keep working.”
School Committee Chair Greg Huet applauded the hard work of the teachers, administrators and staff, saying now was no time to let up.
“I don’t think some people realize how much education has changed and evolved and our teachers, administrators and staff are right there, leading the way,” Huet said. “They’re in the classrooms every day, the boots on the ground if you will, and they’re the ones who deserve all the praise, all the applause.”
In alignment with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the state Department of Education released the annual school and district accountability results this week. The goal of the results is to provide a holistic view of what’s happening in each district and school to give people a better idea about where strengths and weaknesses were taking place.
The report concluded Aquidneck School was a “Four Star School,” which means it demonstrated a “generally strong performance” across all indicators. The district’s other four schools — Forest Avenue Elementary, the Gaudet Learning Academy, Gaudet Middle School and Middletown High — were classified as “Three Star Schools,” which means there were both areas of strength and weakness.
To view the report on the Middletown schools, visit https://reportcard.ride.ri.gov/ online.
“We’re happy to see Aquidneck achieve a Four Star rating, but we’re not stopping there,” Aquidneck School Principal Erica Bulk said. “We want to be a Five (Star School) and that’s what we’re striving for.”
It’s not the first time Infante-Green has been complimentary of the evolving Middletown school system.
Last month, she mentioned the district by name in public comments about improving schools with the release of several standardized tests. Particularly, she applauded the efforts to get every Middletown teacher an endorsement in teaching Multilingual Learners (MLL), a huge accomplishment. To view a report on those scores, visit https://mdl.town/NYCU-RICAS-Scores online.
And last year, Infante-Green and other state educators were visibly moved during a visit to the district by the impact the MLL work was having on the real lives of students. To see a write up on that visit, go to https://mdl.town/NYCU-MLL online.
Despite the high praise and kudos from educators across Rhode Island, Middletown school officials said the push to do even better would not stop.
“All the good vibes and compliments are great, but that’s not what this is all about,” Niemeyer said. “It’s about positive outcomes for our students, all of our students. Whether they’re heading onto college, into the military or the workforce, it’s our job to get them ready as best as possible. We’ll celebrate this today and maybe over the weekend, but come Monday, it’s back to improving what we can, where we can.”
The school board Chair Huet agreed.
“Today is a great day and we’ve had several recently,” Huet said. “That doesn’t go unnoticed and it never should, but we’re going to continue to strive to do even better. We owe it to our kids and we owe that to our community.”
Document Link: https://mdl.town/NYCU-Climb
About Middletown
The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.
Media Contact
Matt Sheley
Public Affairs Officer
401-842-6543
msheley@middletownri.gov