For the second consecutive year, the School District of Palm Beach County has earned an A rating from the State of Florida. It is one of only three large urban districts in Florida to earn an A for the 2018-19 school year.
According to preliminary school grades released July 11 by the Florida Department of Education, the school district outperforms the other six large urban school districts in math achievement. Additionally, schools throughout the county showed continued growth among students in the lowest 25 percent in both language arts and math, outperforming the state as a whole.
No schools in the western communities dropped letter grades this year. However, three local schools had improved letter grades: Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School rose from a B to an A; Royal Palm Beach High School rose from a C to a B; and the Renaissance Charter School at Wellington rose from a B to an A.
Overall, 76 district-operated schools earned A grades from the state, and 33 district-operated schools earned B grades. Sixty-six percent of all district-operated schools can claim either an A or B rating.
For the 2018-19 school year, there are no F-rated schools. Last year, four schools — Belle Glade Elementary School, Glade View Elementary School, Lake Shore Middle School and Rolling Green Elementary School — were listed for Differentiated Accountability (DA) and were being monitored by the Bureau of School Improvement (BSI) for their low performance. All of those schools have had their DA status lifted by earning a C rating.
Twenty-four schools improved their rating by at least one letter grade, with some schools going up two letter grades. Two Title 1 schools showed tremendous growth, with Glade View Elementary School going from an F to a C, and Jupiter Elementary School moving from a C to an A. In total, 12 Title 1 schools earned an A, with half of those improving at least one letter grade to reach an A this school year.
Nine schools improved to an A, including Boca Raton Elementary School, Coral Sunset Elementary School, Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School, Lake Park Elementary School, Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School and Northboro Elementary School.
“Our district’s A rating, for the second consecutive year, shows that we are consistent in our pursuit of excellence and our commitment to our mission of providing a world-class education,” Superintendent Dr. Donald E. Fennoy II said. “The fact that dozens of district-operated schools improved their ratings shows that our educators are setting high expectations, encouraging improvement, and working hard to motivate students and prepare them for post-graduate success.”
Student performance on the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) provides the foundation for state grades, based on a school grading system adopted by the Florida Board of Education.
Districts and schools are rated “A” through “F” based on a percentage of points earned. Schools that did not test at least 95 percent of students received an “I” for incomplete.
“The support of our parents and the community plays a large role in our success, and we truly appreciate their role in making us a high-performing, A-rated district,” Fennoy said.
The School District of Palm Beach County is the 10th largest in the nation and the fifth largest in the state with 179 schools, serving more than 176,000 students. As the largest employer in Palm Beach County, the school district has 22,600 employees To learn more about the district, visit www.palmbeachschools.org.
