2021
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Award Winners

NBRS Badge for Valley Mills Elementary School

Valley Mills Elementary School - Valley Mills, TX

Valley Mills Elementary - The #GSOE

Valley Mills Elementary - The #GSOE

Positive relationships are at the heart of everything we do at Valley Mills Elementary, a public school with 300 PK-5th grade students in central Texas. From the students, families, staff, and community, there is a sense of dedication to ensuring that the children that pass through our halls are treated like what they are: the most important resource in the world.

In order for our school to have been deemed worthy of an award like the prestigious National Blue Ribbon, we had to have the commitment of every stakeholder. Excellence is not an accident. Emphasis on a "relationship first" philosophy is absolutely how we were able to make such an amazing leap in closing the learning gaps of our students. We were able to successfully couple leadership and an investment in a comprehensive reading program in order to show our students how to take control of their own learning in a highly supportive environment where hard work and dedication are rewarded, and mistakes are forgiven and corrected with kindness and empathy. Our instructional approach centered around giving all students what they needed. We didn't just focus on certain groups, we focused on the entire student body and delivered individualized interventions to everyone, from the gifted to the struggling. Our staff worked tirelessly to meet the needs of all students, all while promoting their successes every step of the way. The other key element to our campus' success is acquiring not just good teachers, but great people. People are the heartbeat of any campus culture. We make sure that ours are pumping positive energy from one end of the school to the other at Valley Mills Elementary.

2021 Awardee

Valley Mills Elementary School

102 W Avenue C
Valley Mills, TX, 76689-0518

(254) 932-5526

Principal at time of Nomination:
Mr. Chris Dowdy

Mrs. Tessa Dowdy, Current Principal

Title I School

Valley Mills Independent School District

Rural or small city/town

School Website

School Facebook

School YouTube

Mission

In partnership with our families and community, VME is dedicated to empowering our students to be socially, emotionally, and academically successful, now and the future.

Student Demographics

  • Black/African American: 1%
  • Hispanic: 25%
  • White: 70%
  • Two or more races: 3%
  • Application