During fall testing this year, students who participated in Mancos United’s Mancos Summer Hub scored 10 percentage points higher on their tests than the general school population.
School leaders said that this success “highlights the effectiveness of the hub’s engaging program and the dedication of local educators.”
The district attributes the dramatic differences in test scores to those students’ time “spent in this safe, caring, fun environment directly contributes to improved test scores.”
In reading, summer hub students had an average reading percentile of 58.4, while non-summer hub students scored 47.7. The reading RIT score for summer hub students was 179.5 and 173.6 for other students.
Finally, the math percentile for summer hub students was 55.6, compared with 46.8. The math RIT score was 18.5 for summer hub students and 176.2 for others.
For the 2024 summer season, the Mancos Summer Hub sold out in an hour.
The hub was created to reduce summer stress of parents and students while making learning easier through fun activities and safe spaces.
“The board of education reviewed these stats/numbers from summer hub in the September meeting,” Emily Hutcheson-Brown, Mancos school board president, said. “I love the fact we can tie this success to data, because although we know it feels good, and is working for the greater good.”
Katie McClure, the executive director of Mancos United, said 40% of the hub’s participants come from “high priority populations.”
“It’s incredible to see how a simple yet intentionally designed little summer day camp can have such a profound impact on our kids,” Superintendent Todd Cordrey said.
“A lot of the students who went to summer hub were students that were selected by teachers recommended to go to summer hub so that they could have the opportunities to engage with the activities, which included field trips and academic things, arts, music, painting,” Cordrey said. “All that steady connectedness over the summer allowed the students, when they came back to school, to be more ready for reading and math.”
Because of a grant from the Colorado Department of Education, the summer hub was free for its first two summers, and all students registered were able to attend free of charge.
The funding now, however, has ended, leaving it up to the community to find ways to support Mancos Summer Hub. Cordrey shared that they are also hoping to find grants that could be used toward the hub.
The program also can help lower stress levels in parents and students.
“Parents with less stress plus students with less stress add up to more resilient homes which lead to more present and engaged adult employees at work and students ready to learn,” McClure said.
Mancos United is accepting donations online at www.mancosunited.org/donate/. Supporting one student for a summer costs $2,000, but Mancos United said a donation of any amount makes a difference.
