State education officials have removed Roosevelt Middle School from the state's list of struggling schools.

Educators say it's the result of a collaborative effort to raise test scores and performance. 

"We're a very small school district in a small community that collectively has pulled together to make sure that we do what we need to for our young people," says Principal Nateasha McVea.

The removal is also a relief for interim Superintendent Marnie Hazelton. "For our students, they work really hard, they're smart, intelligent, bright. And to have the state come in and tell them you're still struggling... it's kind of disheartening."

The removal of the designation means that for the first time in decades, none of the five schools in the Roosevelt district are in the state's list of struggling schools. It marks a turnaround from the early 2000s, when Roosevelt was put under state control, the only district in New York state to have that designation.