‘‘It’s a nice feeling,” she said. ‘‘He was happy getting his school books together and he is so excited to see his friends.

‘‘This is his first year riding the bus, and the colored coded badges [that help children find their appropriate bus] are great,” she said. ‘‘Everything seems more organized this year.”

Cameron Holloway, a second-grader, said it was tough getting up and getting ready so early.

‘‘But I’m excited,” she said. ‘‘I can’t wait to see my friends.”

Children chatted with friends and talked about their summer vacation while waiting to enter the school.

Despite all of the excitement, many, such as fifth-grader Ashlee Adkinson, agreed — it was hard waking up in the morning.

‘‘You gotta do all this stuff,” she said about getting dressed.

Still, her energy was high as she talked with friends and joked around.

‘‘I’m looking forward to passing fifth grade,” she said.

Angel Harris, also a fifth-grader and a friend of Adkinson’s, said that she had no trouble getting up early.

‘‘I always get up early to help my mom,” she said. ‘‘But I wish it was still summer.”

Overlook Principal Patricia Lowery, who donned a plastic gold medal for the school’s success in getting off the state improvement list, said that the morning was a success.

‘‘There were lots of parents dropping off their kids,” she said, ushering children and parents around the school. ‘‘Everything went very smoothly.”

Kay McDuffie, assistant principal at Overlook, said she is looking forward to a great year after the school was removed from the improvement list.

Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, requires that schools meet annual standards in reading and mathematics proficiency and attendance. When schools continue to fail in the same categories, the state can take corrective action, which could include replacing staff and adopting a new curriculum. A school can exit the improvement list if it meets AYP two years in a row.

‘‘We are looking for a repeat of the last two years,” she said. ‘‘And we want even more improvement. And we can do it.”