When Indian River County set our bold Moonshot Goal — 90% of students reading on grade level by the end of third grade — we knew it would take more than business as usual for us to have a chance. We needed proof, so Superintendent David Moore of the School District of Indian River County and The Learning Alliance, the literacy-focused nonprofit I lead, partnered to transform Vero Beach Elementary into our Moonshot School.
The concept was simple but powerful: pick one school, align our resources and integrate proven strategies at the same place and the same time. Vero Beach Elementary was the right choice — it serves a higher percentage of students from low-income families and students with special needs than most schools in the district. If progress could happen here, it would show what’s possible anywhere.
And it has.
Just three years ago, only 38% of Vero Beach Elementary’s third graders were reading on grade level. Today, that number is 71%. That’s a 33-point leap – compared to a 12-point gain districtwide and a three-point gain statewide over the same period.
The experience offers an example that Orange County schools and the state at large can learn from and replicate.
These results didn’t come from shiny technology or a brand-new curriculum. They came from the disciplined integration of strategies we already knew worked: instructional coaches, targeted interventions, arts literacy, and robust after-school programming. The difference was that this time, everything worked in concert. There was a dedicated coach for each grade in K-2. There was individualized support for both students and teachers. Partnerships with community organizations brought concepts to life. And after-school activities were offered specifically to struggling students.
Under the leadership of Superintendent David Moore, a 2025 finalist for National Superintendent of the Year, the district also set clear expectations for staff. Teachers had a choice: opt in to this new model with its higher expectations or take a position at another school. Seventeen of 44 staff members left, but those who remained — and those who joined — are fully committed. Today, the culture at Vero Beach Elementary is stronger, morale is higher, and teachers are proving that high expectations can yield high results.
The lessons from the Moonshot School are now being shared beyond our state and our county. For the first time, The Learning Alliance is offering a cohort this fall of school districts across the country the chance to learn from our Moonshot School and adapt the model to their own communities. Martin County is part of the cohort, and so are districts in states from California to Virginia who are eager to see how this approach can be replicated.
This idea of educators across the country looking to Indian River County is a shift from when I co-founded The Learning Alliance more than 15 years ago. Back then, we used to send leaders across the country to see what was possible in high-performing schools. Now, we can point to a traditional public school in Florida that proves what’s possible under real-world conditions and budgets.
Our blueprint isn’t about creating a boutique program or turning around one school in isolation. It’s about building demonstration schools that show what happens when systems align, expectations are raised, and communities come together. From there, the lessons can spread districtwide and beyond.
Every district in America should have a demonstration school. A place where leaders, teachers, and communities can see for themselves that with the right supports, the right expectations, and the right partnerships, extraordinary gains are possible for every child.
At a time when national reading proficiency remains stubbornly low, we cannot afford to settle for incremental change. We need to prove what’s possible — and then scale it. Vero Beach Elementary has done just that. Now, the challenge is to make sure every community has the opportunity to do the same.
Barbara Hammond is the co-founder and CEO of The Learning Alliance, a nonprofit in Indian River County that helps children read.
