The Florida Department of Education released grades for schools, for the 2021-2022 school year, earlier this month. Grades had not been assigned since 2019, because of interruptions attributed to the coronavirus pandemic.
Grades are based primarily on student testing. To get a grade, a school had to test more than 90 percent of students and opt in.
In an email, press secretary of the Florida Department of Education Cassie Palelis said that the school grades statewide far exceeded expectations. In particular, she pointed out that 100% of schools who received an F in 2019 improved their grades in this year’s report.
In Southwest Florida, schools overwhelmingly earned A, B, and C grades. Receiving D grades were Moore Haven Elementary in Glades County, and in Lee County, Fort Myers Middle Academy, G. Weaver Hipps Elementary, Manatee Elementary, and Heritage Charter Academy of Cape Coral. No Southwest Florida Schools earned an F.
Several schools in the area were given incompletes, which, according to Palelis, could mean that not enough students were tested or that the test results are under review. Those schools have a 30-day window to appeal the incomplete and may be given a grade later.
The school districts themselves were also graded. Charlotte County got a B, Collier an A, Glades a C, Hendry an Incomplete, and Lee County school district earned a B..
Find complete spreadsheets of Florida schools and districts and their grades, here.
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