D.R. Gaul Middle School is in Union, Maine, a blueberry-farming town where the summer fair finds kids competing in pig scrambles and pie-eating contests.

Gaul, with about 170 seventh-and eighth-graders, has its own history of lower level academic achievement. One likely reason: Education beyond the basic requirements hasn’t always been a top priority for families who’ve worked the same land for generations. Here, few adults have college degrees, and outsiders (teachers included) are often kept at a respectful distance.