WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Two South Florida counties, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade, received A grades by the state Department of Education, the first annual ones assigned to public schools since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in data released Thursday.
Indian River, St. Lucie and Broward counties were awarded a B, while Okeechobee County had a C.
The seven schools received the same grades as 2019, except Martin dropped from A and Okeechobee down from a B.
Palm Beach and Miami-Dade were the only seven large school districts to receive the top mark. Duval, Hillsborough, Orange and Pinellas had a B. In all there are 67 county school districts with 12 receiving the top mark and none below a C.
"I am incredibly proud of our students, teachers, school administrators, and support staff for persevering through conditions that were unimaginable just a few years ago, to earn this coveted "A" rating," Palm Beach School District Superintendent Mike Burke said in a news release. "While there is plenty of work that remains to be done, earning this "A" rating, despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, is an impressive accomplishment that instills confidence in our ability to educate, affirm, and inspire each student in an equity-embedded school system."
In Palm Beach County, the individual school grades are as follows: 71 A, 40 B, 68 C, nine D, one F. These include charter schools with Bright Futures Academy getting the one F, dropping from a C.
The biggest jump was Hidden Oaks K-8 in Lake Worth from a C to an A.
The biggest declines from A to C were Lake Park Elementary, Wynnebrook Elementary in West Palm Beach, Renaissance Charter School at Wellington, Franklin Academy in Boynton Beach, Franklin Academy in Palm Beach Gardens and Montessori Academy of Early Enrichment in Lake Worth.
Of the schools, 296 schools, 18 increased grades.
Seven district-operate schools were marked as incomplete.
"There are several reasons for being listed by the State as incomplete, including a participation rate below 95%, student exams that may still be unaccounted for, or other unresolved matters," the district said in a news release. "The District is currently working with the State to determine the cause in each case."
On the Treasure Coast:
St. Lucie County: Seven of the 43 schools increased letter grades. Three schools earned incompletes.
Mariposa in Port St. Lucie moved one spot to an A school, with Chester A Moore Elementary in Fort Pierce improving from a D to a C and Treasure Coast High School in Port St. Lucie becoming an A for the first time. The district had no failing schools.
Martin County: The district was just three points from receiving an A. Of the 22 schools, the only school improving was Jensen Beach elementary from B to A.
Dropping two letter grades were Sea Wind Elementary in Hobe Sound to a C, Warfield Elementary in Indiantown to a C, Pinewood Elementary in Stuart to a D, Crystal Lake Elementary in Stuart to a C. The district had no failing schools.
Indian River: Of the 24 schools, the only schools improving, all to B's were, were Fellsmere Elementary, Sebastian Elementary, Indian River Academy in Vero Beach, Treasure Coast Academy in Vero Beach, Storm Grove Middle School in Vero Beach.
No schools dropped two letter grades. The district had no failing grades though Sebastian River High and Vero Beach High received incompletes. No schools dropped two letter grades.
Okeechobee: Of the nine schools, only Everglades Elementary improved, to a B, the only school with that as high a grade. No schools dropped two letter grades and there were no F's.
Individual grades for districts and grades are available on the Education Department website.
