BARRINGTON — The secret of successful science teaching may seem, at times, as elusive as dark matter or as complex as human DNA. But when it comes to tuning student brains to the right wavelength, teachers in Barrington seem to be light-years ahead of the rest of their colleagues.

In Barrington, 56 percent of this year’s senior class passed the first statewide science test, far ahead of second-place East Greenwich, where only 39 percent of the high school students were deemed proficient. In many high schools, the proficiency rate is in the single-digits.

Middle school students in Barrington did even better; 65 percent passed, with middle schools in East Greenwich, Smithfield and South Kingstown tied for second place, with 44 percent of students showing they understand basic scientific concepts.

With well more than half of the high school and middle school students in Rhode Island shown to be lacking, that’s bad news in a state that is trying to promote science literacy, but good news for Barrington, where officials spent part of yesterday trying to explain why this community fared so much better.

Part of it is socioeconomic. Barrington is one of the wealthiest communities in the state, and children from well-to-do homes tend to do better in school, have more resources and have parents who are more involved in their education.

So the town, even though its per-pupil expenses are among the lowest in Rhode Island, has done some concrete things that other school systems might wish to do — if they had the money.

For example, each science classroom has newly installed overhead projectors and Internet access so teachers can pull up videos that make it easier for students to grasp sometimes-difficult concepts not easily envisioned with just words and static illustrations.

“Technology is important here,” says Diana Siliezar-Shields, the science department chairwoman at the high school.

The town just bought new textbooks to go with the new science curriculum, implemented last year.

The School Department is quick to reimburse teachers for much of the cost of their continuing education.

But Siliezar-Shields said there’s the human element as well.

“It’s a collection of things. You have students who know they’re expected to come to school and succeed,” she said. “The community involvement is tremendous.” Not only are parents committed to education in general, many work in medicine and other scientific fields.

Teaching today often requires dealing with problems that originate outside of school, things that can distract students. “People tend to think there’s less [of that in Barrington], but I think we have our share of socioeconomic issues with some students,” said Siliezar-Shields. “But because it’s such a community atmosphere, people tend to work together to make things better for those students.”

There’s also a separate source of money, the Barrington Education Foundation, whose grant system finances special projects. It paid for a $2,500 machine — common in colleges but relatively uncommon in high schools — that makes rapid-fire copies of DNA, a crucial step for DNA fingerprinting.

That, in turn, has allowed Siliezar-Shields to offer a class in forensic science that covers topics familiar to fans of the television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

And all 11 members of the science department faculty are friends, she said.

“We hang out outside of school,” she said. “We talk science outside of school. We plan together at a restaurant sometimes; we do things like that. That makes us, I think, excited about coming in and doing our best.”

gemery@projo.com