the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over. Schools The town's public schools are operated by the East Lyme School District. The school district consists of one high school, East Lyme High School; one middle school, East Lyme Middle School (grades 5–8); and three elementary schools: Flanders Elementary School (grades Pre-K–4), Lillie B. Haynes Elementary School (grades Pre-K–4), and Niantic Center School (grades K–4). East Lyme High School has been recognized by Newsweek magazine as one of the top 1,000 high schools in the country and by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 500 high schools in the United States. In 2017, the East Lyme High School earned a National Blue Ribbon Distinction by U.S. Department of Education. The awards are for schools that continue to show high achievement or make strong progress toward closing achievements gaps. East Lyme High School hosts the East Lyme Aquatic & Fitness Center. The center contains an eight-lane, , competition swimming and diving pool, and a fitness facility with Nautilus equipment, free weights, and a cardiovascular line. The facility is used by high school swimming and diving teams as well as being open to the public, on a fee basis, when not in use by the school. East Lyme High School athletic teams have recently won the Class L State Championships in girls volleyball for the 2010 and 2011 seasons, and reached the Class M State Finals in girls tennis in 2012. The baseball team also reached the Class L State finals in 2015 and 2016. The cross country team has achieved unparalleled athletic success at East Lyme, winning three consecutive Class MM State titles in 2017, 2018 & 2019. Students from the neighboring town of Salem also attend East Lyme High School. The East Lyme Middle School is a 1999–2000 National Blue Ribbon School and a 2004 New England League of Middle Schools Spotlight School. It is also the Connecticut Association of Schools 2013–2014 School of the Year. It includes a high tech computer lab and a spacious library. The Middle School uses a team program called kivas. A kiva contains a science teacher, a language arts or English teacher, a social studies teacher and a math teacher. Some kivas are smaller and have a math and science teacher and a language arts and social studies teacher. There are