In small elementary schools, fewer students are retained in the same grade than their larger host schools. Improvement in standardized test scores are apparent. Reading scores have increased in small schools. In the best of the small schools, teachers are targeting reading as an area for their own skill-building. In other small schools, the average standardized test scores are holding steady, which is an improvement given that more students are taking the test.
Violence occurs less frequently in small schools.
Small schools provide a remedy for much of the isolation and alienation, often associated with incidents of teen violence, which is found in very large schools. Students in small schools are known by teachers and peers. This increased sense of identity and community has lead to fewer incidences of violence. Students feel safer because the values of democratic citizenship are fostered and conflict management is exercised. The conditions in small schools are more conducive to learning.