57 percent of Florida Schools Earn A or B Grades
The Florida Department of Education released school grades for the 2016-17 school year and applauded Florida’s students and educators for contributing to significant improvement over last year.
Governor Rick Scott said, “When I was growing up, I had access to a great public education which helped me achieve my goals and build a great career. Every student in Florida deserves the same opportunity. Floridians should be proud of the continuous improvement of our K-12 schools. I am thankful for the dedicated teachers, students and parents who work every day to advance education in our schools.”
“I am incredibly proud of our state’s students, parents, teachers and leaders for their hard work, which led to these exceptional outcomes,” said Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart. “Today’s announcement is further evidence that Florida’s accountability system is integral to ensuring all students have access to the high-quality education they deserve. It is particularly important in identifying low-performing schools that need additional assistance to help their students reach their full potential. I am proud that more than two-thirds of the schools that were being monitored through the school improvement program improved to a C or better.”
The Florida Department of Education calculates school grades annually based on up to 11 components, including student achievement and learning gains on statewide, standardized assessments and high school graduation rate. School grades provide parents and the general public an easily understandable way to measure the performance of a school and understand how well each school is serving its students.
Statewide Highlights
- The percentage of schools earning an “A” or “B” increased to 57 percent (1,834 schools), up from 46 percent (1,531 schools) in 2015-16.
- Elementary schools saw the largest percentage point increase in “A” schools, with 30 percent (542 schools) of elementary schools earning an “A” in 2016-17, up from 21 percent (386 schools) in 2015-16.
- A total of 1,589 schools maintained an “A” grade (660 schools) or increased their grade (929 schools) in 2016-17.
- The number of “F” schools decreased by more than half (61 percent), dropping from 111 schools in 2015-16 to 43 schools in 2016-17.
Low-Performing Schools
- 79 percent of schools that earned an “F” in 2015-16 improved by at least one letter grade in 2016-17.
- 71 percent of schools that earned a “D” or “F” in 2015-16 improved by at least one letter grade in 2016-17.
- 71 percent of the low-performing schools for which turnaround plans were presented before the State Board of Education in July 2016 improved to a C or greater.
In addition to school grades, the department also calculates district grades annually based on the same criteria. Eight school districts improved their district grade from a “B” in 2015-16 to an “A” in 2016-17, and 10 school districts improved their district grade from a “C” in 2015-16 to a “B” in 2016-17. Forty-eight of Florida’s 67 school districts are now graded “A” or “B,” up from 38 in 2015-16. Additionally, 50 of Florida’s school districts have no “F” graded schools in 2016-17.
For more information about school grades, visit http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/.
For more information about the Florida Department of Education, visit www.fldoe.org.
