Case Study: Crystal Lake Middle School achieves an 80% reduction in suspensions with Hero K12

How one school reduced their suspensions by 80% with RTI, PBIS, and Hero

Crystal Lake Middle School in Pompano Beach, Florida, led by Principal Sabine Phillips, faced high rates of student suspensions and wanted to shift discipline toward teaching and positive reinforcement. To support a student-centered approach, the school combined RTI and PBIS with the Hero program from vendor Hero K12 to track daily positive behaviors and run incentives.

Using Hero K12’s Hero behavior-tracking platform alongside RTI and PBIS, teachers logged positive points privately and used dashboards for rewards, increasing motivation, attendance, and achievement. The coordinated approach produced dramatic results: Crystal Lake cut external suspensions by 81% and in-house suspensions by 80% between 2013 and 2015, all within a two-year period.

Crystal Lake Middle School

Sabine Phillips

Principal