More Florida schools garner A, B grades in statewide ratings

A rising number of Florida schools have earned A and B grades in the state’s education accountability system, according to data released Monday.

The 2025 results showed that 1,526 schools earned the top grade, up from 1,299 a year ago. Another 935 schools received a B, up from 916. Three-quarters of schools graded D last year improved at least one level.

Among districts, 28 earned an A, 31 a B and 8 a C.

Some Republican lawmakers questioned the state’s grading methods during the recently ended legislative session, with at least one calling it “fake.” But Gov. Ron DeSantis said the grades were proof Florida’s education system was improving.

“Nearly 200,000 more students are enrolled in A or B schools in the past academic year than in the previous year,” DeSantis said during a news conference at Oceanway Elementary School in Jacksonville, which improved to an A from a C.

While the number of F schools rose slightly from last year, the number of C and D schools went down. Only 71 schools earned either a D or an F this year, compared to 117 last year.

In the Tampa Bay region, the Pinellas school district earned an A overall for the second straight year, with Hillsborough and Pasco getting B’s.

Hillsborough County schools Superintendent Van Ayres said the news was welcome for the district, which has seen a tumultuous month largely over book removals and budget uncertainties. Ayres said the district was a percentage point away from being an A district for the first time.

“With all the stuff we’ve had to deal with in the last month, it’s good to have a day like this,” he said. “We can celebrate focus, celebrate the accomplishments of all students and staff today.”

The full set of results is available on the Department of Education website.

DeSantis credited the state’s transition to progress monitoring, in which students are tested three times a year to see how they are advancing, as key to the gains.

“Teachers, students and parents are provided with real-time, actionable student assessments,” he said. “The progress monitoring has led to better student performance and better student achievement.”

Data released in late June showed that larger percentages of students in several demographic groups scored at or above grade level in language arts and math. In many subject areas, though, just over half were reaching that level.

The notion that a school could earn an A grade when so many children still fall short prompted some lawmakers to press for changes to the grading model. They argued that the system should mirror that of students’ report cards, in which a school would get an A only if it earned 90 percent or more of all available points.

Schools get points in the grading system for the percentage of students scoring at grade level and making gains. At the secondary level, percentages of students taking accelerated courses and graduating also are included.

Florida Citizens Alliance, a conservative advocacy group, pushed for the change. CEO Keith Flaugh said the organization will continue to pressure politicians for more transparency in school grading. State leaders don’t want to admit that changing the system would reveal that schools are faring poorly, he said.

He pointed to Florida SAT scores as an example, noting Florida’s average scores rank 47th nationally.

“Modest improvements in a failing school system are irrelevant,” Flaugh said. “We need to change our grading system to reflect a world-class, competitive, high-quality system.”

Criticism also came from the Florida Education Association, the state’s teachers union. President Andrew Spar referred to the state’s poor results in national assessments and said educators do not rely on high-stakes testing to evaluate performance.

Rather than push for revisions to the grading system, Spar recommended greater investment in schools to support smaller class sizes, better trained teachers and more freedom for those teachers to meet student needs.

“Instead of providing our students with more of what they need to grow and thrive, under this administration, the only thing we’ve seen more of is testing for public school students,” Spar said.

A bill to shift the grading criteria over a decade did not pass the Legislature this spring, with several observers noting that the proposed changes would lead to the vast majority of schools receiving failing marks — sending the message that schools are not strong enough. That would run counter to the message DeSantis and Anastasios Kamoutsas, the incoming education commissioner, delivered Monday.

Reciting the improved performance numbers, Kamoutsas said: “You are talking about hundreds of thousands of students that are benefiting from the policies that this governor has championed.”

Florida schools “are improving across the board,” he added, citing the administration’s relentless pressure to get rid of “woke” indoctrination, focus on the basics and support parental rights.

This was Pinellas’ second straight year without any D or F schools and with 60 percent of all schools — including charters — earning an A. Among the notable results: Bardmoor and North Shore elementary schools improved from C to A, and Lakewood High moved to A from B.

“This is an exciting and well deserved designation for our district and schools,” school board chairperson Laura Hine said in a press release. “As a board, we are committed to 100% student success, and these sustained results show what is possible when we believe in, invest in, and lead public education.”

Out of Hillsborough County’s 260 schools, only one — charter school Walton Academy — received an F this year. The district had eight fewer D-rated schools while seeing its numbers of A and B schools rise.

Of the district’s 88 A-graded schools, 13 rose from B schools last year, and three (Kenly Elementary, Mendenhall Elementary and Victory Charter School) from C’s. One charter school, the Collaboratory Preparatory Academy, jumped from an F.

Shaylia McRae, Hillsborough’s deputy superintendent of academics and transformation, said the district has focused on more intensive progress monitoring and continuous data analysis to provide classrooms with feedback.

“As data comes out, we’re looking at that data, and we are creating student-specific plans,” she said.

Pasco saw 31 schools, including charters, earning an A — up from 25 a year ago. Some of its struggling schools made strides, including Cox Elementary, which moved from a D to a B. It had faced a state-mandated outside takeover if it earned another D.

Pasco continued to have some low-performing campuses, though, with eight receiving D’s and one, Chester Taylor Elementary, getting an F. Taylor recently had a new principal assigned.

“We remain deeply committed to the schools that are facing challenges,” Pasco schools Superintendent John Legg said. “It’s not just a moment of celebration, it’s a call to action and our path forward is focused, data-driven and rooted in the belief that all students will succeed.”

Times staff writers Divya Kumar and Lucy Marques contributed to this story.