FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Association for Middle-Level Education (AMLE) has recognized Custer Baker Intermediate School (CBIS) as one of seventeen AMLE Schools of Distinction for 2024.
AMLE’s Schools of Distinction program recognizes exemplary schools while supporting them through a strategic vision setting to help foster ongoing growth and success. The program’s evaluation criteria are anchored in AMLE’s landmark position paper on best practices in the middle grades, The Successful Middle School: This We Believe, now in its fifth edition and 42nd year of publication.
CBIS completed a rigorous review process that measured the implementation of middle-grade best practices and continuous improvement plans. After advancing from the initial application, the school community participated in stakeholder interviews with staff, students, and families.
“The staff at CBIS has worked hard for the last five years to meet the needs of the middle-level learner,” CBIS Principal Cheryl Moran said. “We have worked with AMLE through book studies, conferences, staff surveys, and onsite training.”
Franklin Community Schools (FCS) Superintendent Dr. David Clendening added, “Mrs. Moran and her team of teachers, staff, and administrators have created a school improvement plan to create a safe, secure learning place for students where individual growth can reign for all. FCS is proud to be recognized as a School of Distinction.
CBIS will be recognized and present on their exemplary practices live at AMLE24: The 51st Annual Conference for Middle-Level Education this November in Nashville, TN.





