LEWISTON — Lewiston High School has been reaccredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

The evaluation, done every 10 years, tells colleges that Lewiston graduates “met all the standards” based on the latest research, Assistant Principal Michael Hutchins said Friday. “It says we are up to par.”

The approval, received by Lewiston officials May 3, also tells taxpayers that what’s going on at the school meets the standards of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Hutchins said.

School Superintendent Bill Webster said he’s very pleased with the report.

“It indicates the high quality of instruction and efforts taking place at Lewiston High School. It’s a tribute to the staff,” he said. “That being said, there are things we want to continue to improve.” But the NEASC findings “was one of the most complimentary accreditation report I have read.”

Hutchins was the lead educator of a committee that worked to provide NEASC with all the reports and data needed to assess how the school was serving students. The last time the school was accredited was 2001.

According to a letter to school Principal Gus LeBlanc by Janet Allison, NEASC director in Massachusetts, the visiting committee that spent days at the school last fall was impressed “with many of the programs and services.”

There were 30 commendations listed in the letter, including how the high school has developed so-called “rubrics,” or schoolwide standards for teaching and grading, to ensure all students get a quality and equitable education.

Other commendations include how the school works to ensure all students understand learning expectations, favorable class sizes that support education, the use of online “PowerSchool” to report student progress to students and families, and a required freshman course, “Technology, Thinking and Reading Strategies,” along with a writing lab. Those courses “serve to personalize learning and establish effective learning habits,” Allison wrote.

The visiting committee was pleased, she said, to acknowledge “the great pride students have in their school,” the larger number of programs for at-risk students, and new efforts to integrate English language learners into maintstream classes and the school’s culture.

When reports were filed and as the school was preparing for the visiting committee, Hutchins said he thought the school was going to do well. “We followed all the standards they asked us to follow. But we were really happy with the level of and number of commendations we received.”

Getting ready for the reaccreditation was a three-year process, Hutchins said. “It was brutal” and involved a great deal of work.

The NEASC’s letter gave three critiques the school must correct by Jan. 2. One is to boost confidentiality and safety in the school’s health clinic. The other two are that the high school must provide a long-range report on how it plans to address expected enrollment increases, and ensure that a chairlift is fully functional at all times.

Webster said those three issues are being taken care of. The School Committee will get a report on the ramp and chairlift on Monday.

“The enrollment increase is something we don’t deny. That is an issue,” Webster said. A growing number of students will first show up at the elementary and middle schools. “We already have plans in place to expand MacMahon Elementary,” he said.

On July 10, Lewiston voters will be given a referendum to decide about renovating and expanding the Lewiston Middle School. Over the next two or three years more plans will be made to allow more students at the high school.

The NEASC did not address Lewiston’s graduation rate, which is among the lowest in Maine. In 2011, 68 percent of Lewiston’s graduating seniors completed high school in four years; the statewide rate in 2010 was 83 percent.

The NEASC did acknowledge Lewiston’s work on maintaining academics and helping at-risk students, Webster said. The school budget approved by voters May 15 will build more programs to help students have success and graduate, he said. “We know we need to be doing more.”

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