As of May 6, Wareham High School has earned full accreditation status from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

The high school has been on warning status since the last study was conducted in 2011, which means the school could have been placed on probation and eventually lose accreditation if no improvements were made.

The “recommendations” made to the school (which were mandatory to fix) included but were not limited to: sufficient funding to upgrade technology; adequate supply of working computers; adequate staffing; and to repair/replace a leaky roof.

Since then, all members of the high school – from the students to the principal – have worked together to achieve full accreditation.

Principal Scott Palladino said this achievement couldn't have been possible without the help of the town and voters.

“To me this is a celebration for the town. This is the town stepping up and doing what needed to be done,” he said.

In a 2014 Town Meeting vote, the high school received $2.3 million to purchase a new school roof, $750,000 of which was actually spent.

Even though the accreditation is full, plans are being set in motion to ensure the high school keeps its status, which aids students applying to colleges.

“We need a plan in place to continue to purchase new technology and not having that technology-break all at once – to plan it, it'll be small purchases,” said Palladino. “We need to continue to train the staff in the area of technology. If you stand still, technology is going to pass you by.”

According to Palladino, no solutions are given by the accrediting body. Instead, schools have to come up with creative solutions on their own. He said the school is constantly revisiting the report's recommendations.

“The self study is very intense, maybe more than the actual visit.”

It is through these self studies, and school-wide communication and participation, that the high school has tackled the recommendations. School officials have written several reports for the accrediting body since 2011. The last one was sent in December, though it wasn't due until March. The accrediting group met on April 3 and 4 to review the documents, Palladino said. He sent a letter to the school shortly afterwards.

The organization rates schools on several different categories: core values, beliefs and learning expectations, curriculum, instruction, assessment of and for student learning, school culture and leadership, school resources for learning, and community resources for learning. The high school first earned its accreditation in 1960. The school undergoes a mandatory review process every 10 years. Though it has kept the accreditation, its status has varied in light of recommended improvements for the school.

“It's a process and it does take time and I think we'll be in a much better place in 2021 than we were 2011,” said Palladino.