This study explored how a critical and place-based language arts curriculum influenced high-performing rural students as writers. This study uses data from a larger, federally funded grant. The sample included 199 students, who comprised the second cohort of students participating in the Promoting Place in Rural Schools grant and were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Students in the treatment groups were provided instruction using four language arts units designed for high-achieving, rural students, while students in the control group were provided the traditional language arts curriculum for their grade level. This study uses 149/199 pre-tests and 158/199 post-tests due to students being absent for testing or dropping out of or being added to the study. Qualitative analysis of student pre- and post-test writing tasks provided data that supported the conclusion that while students in the control group made place connections, students in the treatment group made deeper and more critical connections to place. These findings suggest that writing instruction that values students’ lived experiences provides opportunities for students to make meaning using what they know, as well as to critically examine their experiences as members of their local communities. This study provides insight into writing classrooms that embrace student experience and view students as valuable members of their communities.