The River Grove board held a detailed discussion about sixth grade at River Grove at last night’s meeting via Zoom. School Director Drew Goodson noted that sixth grade is a capstone year at River Grove and offers students unique leadership and growth opportunities. However, some families choose to leave in sixth grade so that their kids start middle school at the same time as other kids in the district. The board discussed facility needs, enrollment trends and projections, staffing and budget considerations, and the recent survey of current fifth grade parents. Board member and teacher Annie Beck noted that the kids who stay at River Grove for sixth grade experience a lot of personal growth and perform better in middle school socially and academically. In the end, the Board of Directors agreed unanimously with the administration’s recommendation to keep sixth grade, and to cap class size at 18 for 2022-23.
