Florida schools improved their school grade during the 2015-2016 school year

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) released the 2015-2016 district and school grades, and the number of schools earning an “F” dropped by approximately 50 percent from 204 in 2014-2015 to 103 in 2015-2016. Additionally, 58 percent of schools that earned a “D” or “F” in 2014-2015 improved by at least one letter grade in 2015-2016. Overall, a total of 1,137 schools maintained an “A” grade or increased their grade in 2015-2016.

"Even as we have continued to raise the bar for student performance and implemented more rigorous standards by which schools are graded, Florida’s educators and students have continued to excel," said Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart. "It is clear that our focus on Florida’s most struggling students is paying off, especially in our ‘D’ and ‘F’ schools, 58 percent of which increased their grade in 2016. The great benefit of our state’s accountability system is that it constantly shines a light on areas that need improvement. I applaud the schools which improved, and I encourage all schools to pursue excellence persistently."

• Tampa - Florida Schools Improved Their School Grade during the 2015-2016 School Year
• Palm Beach - Florida Schools Improved Their School Grade during the 2015-2016 School Year
• Central Florida - Florida Schools Improved Their School Grade during the 2015-2016 School Year
• North Central Florida - Florida Schools Improved Their School Grade during the 2015-2016 School Year
• Northeast Florida - Florida Schools Improved Their School Grade during the 2015-2016 School Year
• Southwest Florida - Florida Schools Improved Their School Grade during the 2015-2016 School Year
• South Florida - Florida Schools Improved Their School Grade during the 2015-2016 School Year
• Florida’s Big Bend - Florida Schools Improved Their School Grade during the 2015-2016 School Year
• Florida’s Panhandle - Florida Schools Improved Their School Grade during the 2015-2016 School Year
• Northwest Florida - Florida Schools Improved Their School Grade during the 2015-2016 School Year

For more information about school grades, visit http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/.

Highlights from the Tampa area include:

Citrus

• Four schools are graded “A” in 2016 and 11 schools graded “B”.
• In 2016, 79% of schools are graded “A” or “B”.
• There are no schools graded “D” or “F” in the district.

Hardee

• Hardee County increased the number of “A” graded schools in 2016 compared to 2015, improving from no “A” grades in 2015 to two “A” grades in 2016.
• There are two schools graded “A” in 2016 and one school graded “B”.

Hernando

• Three schools are graded “A” in 2016 and seven schools graded “B”.

Highlands

• Two schools are graded “B” in 2016.

Hillsborough

• There are 51 schools graded “A” in 2016 and 43 schools graded “B”.
• In 2016, nine schools improved their grade from a “D” to a “C”.
• In 2016, there are 14 fewer schools graded “F” than in 2015, dropping from 25 “F” grades in 2015 to 11 ”F” grades in 2016.
• In 2016, six schools improved their grade from an “F” to a “C”.

Manatee

• Five schools are graded “A” in 2016 and 16 schools graded “B”.
• In 2016, five schools improved their grade from a “D” to a “C” or higher (one from a “D” to a “B” and four from a “D” to a “C”).
• In 2016, there are three fewer schools graded “F” than in 2015.
• In 2016, one school improved its grade from an “F” to a “C”.

Pasco

• There are 14 schools graded “A” in 2016 and 16 schools graded “B”.
• In 2016, one school improved its grade from a “D” to a “C”.

Pinellas

• There are 34 schools graded “A” in 2016 and 22 schools graded “B”.
• In 2016, nine schools improved their grade from a “D” to a “C” or higher (one from a “D” to a “B” and eight from a “D” to a “C”).
• In 2016, there are five fewer schools graded “F” than in 2015.
• In 2016, two schools improved their grade from an “F” to a “C”.

Polk

• There are 19 schools graded “A” in 2016 and 19 schools graded “B”.
• In 2016, eight schools improved their grade from a “D” to a “C”.
• In 2016, there is one less school graded “F” than in 2015.
• In 2016, one school improved its grade from an “F” to a “C”.

Sarasota

• There are 22 schools graded “A” in 2016 and 16 schools graded “B”.
• In 2016, 76% of schools are graded “A” or “B”.
• In 2016, one school improved its grade from a “D” to a “C”.
• There are no schools graded “D” or “F” in the district.

On January 6, 2016, the State Board of Education adopted revisions to the school grades rule (6A-1.09981, F.A.C.), which establishes the grading formula, to reflect major changes made to Florida Statute during the 2014 Legislative Session. Together, these changes simplified the school and district grading process and ensure that schools receive credit when students make meaningful gains toward grade level performance and beyond. The simplified grading formula focuses on annual student results important for students in elementary, middle and high schools, and removes provisions such as the safety net, which are now prohibited by law.

For more information about school grades, visit http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/.

Tags: Education