A troubled youth expelled from his former school, is now a youth pastor.

A student who struggled to read and had less than 1.0 grade point average (GPA) improved to such a degree that he was accepted to college during his second semester of twelfth-grade, and at the end of his freshman year in college, was able to boast a 3.7 GPA.

A teen mother, given the opportunity to complete high school is now in her sophomore year at college and on the president's list.

They are all products of a small school environment.

The success stories are many for Dr. Christine Williams, director at Pace Christian Academy, where she says they partner with parents whose children need to be reminded that they "were created for greatness" which is the school's motto. And where they say everyone can be successful at something and that the "thing" just needs to be found.

"Today, in The Bahamas, it would appear that small schools are becoming a viable option for parents as they seek to find a suitable 'fit' for their children," said Williams.

Traditionally, she said a small school is characterized by a population of less than 500 students, but in The Bahamas, many small schools have fewer than 300 students.

The term small school, Williams said, could also refer to the class size, which usually ranges between 10 to 15 students per class, but the numbers could be fluid.

"Some people wrongly assume that small schools are only for those students who are performing below the acceptable academic standards," said Williams.

She said some small schools do cater to students who struggle academically, but they also work with students who are brilliant in their own right but simply feel overwhelmed by a large academic setting.

"The small school offers the student more attention in the area of academics, if needed. However, having small classes is not enough. Small schools still need to have qualified educators who care about the academic success of each child in their classrooms, along with being concerned about their social well-being and emotional health. This is not to say that educators in larger institutions do not have this same desire and care, but it may be harder to accomplish depending on the number of students in the classroom."

Williams said there is no one right size classroom/school that would fit every child. And that there are pros and cons for both large and small schools.

"Small schools tend to have less academic and extracurricular options, mainly due to financial constraints, whereas larger schools tend to provide a wider range of options. It is important that parents know the needs of their child, the child's interests, temperament and personality when shopping for a school that would best fit their child. "Some children will thrive anywhere - small or large, public or private school. Public and private schools can tout their successes, so can large or small schools. The key is finding a school that meets the needs of the child."

Parents finding the school that meets the needs of their child she said requires them having a conversation with the child, engaging in research, putting in time and in some cases, a financial sacrifice.

"Also equally important is parents being fully vested in their child's education - providing necessary school materials, communicating with the school and teachers, being present and available."

Williams said education is a partnership - the school, the parents and the child.

"I often refer to it as a tag team wrestling match. When parents drop the child to school, they tag the educator and the educator is in the ring and when they collect the child, the educator tags the parent and the parent is in the ring. It's a team effort," she said.

"This small school setting allows us to get to know our students and their families and helps us to be more focused and intentional in our efforts to prepare them for life outside of home and school. Our school verse is Psalm 139:14a "I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made ..." When this knowledge, along with our motto, is ingrained in our students, amazing things happen," said Williams.

Pace Christian Academy was birthed in 1999 out of Williams' desire to provide another option for children who were struggling in the regular academic setting with 25 to 30 students in a class.

The majority of their initial students were boys who came from private schools and were in jeopardy of repeating a grade or being asked to leave and find another school. She said they found that the small environment - 10 to 12 students in a class - provided an opportunity to discover their strengths and weaknesses and then strategies were developed to aid the student.

She said some of the students were not interested in academics, and not because they were not capable of performing, so they developed an apprenticeship program to provide training in areas of vocational interests.

"Today, we still partner with parents whose children need to be reminded that they 'were created for greatness' and that everyone can be successful at something.

"We also prepare students for the national exams and tertiary education [and] over the years we have had the privilege to be a part of many success stories."

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