FLORIDA SCHOOLS IMPROVED THEIR SCHOOL GRADE DURING THE 2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR
~ Number of “F” schools cut in half since last year ~

Tallahassee, Fla., July 8, 2016 – 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." – Commissioner Pam Stewart

Highlights for Holmes County include:

• Two schools are graded “B” in 2016.
• There are no schools graded “D” or “F” in the district.
• Average graduation rate exceeds 80%
• Improved ten percentage points in Civics, with 69 percent of students scoring Level 3 or higher.
• Moved up seven percentage points in Grades 3-5 Mathematics combined (Florida Standards Assessment and End-of-Course assessments).
• Improved four percentage points in both Geometry and Biology 1
• Improved eleven percentage points in Grade 3 English Language Arts with 55 percent students scoring Level 3 of higher. (25% increase over last year – 3rd highest in Florida)