When the Florida Department of Education released its school grades for the 2025–2026 school year, most people probably scrolled past the announcement. Report cards for institutions don’t usually carry the same weight as report cards for kids. But they probably should. These grades — running from A to F — offer a real, if imperfect, window into how well Florida’s public schools are actually doing their jobs.
The numbers for this year are generally positive. According to state data, 77% of all graded schools in Florida earned an A or B, up from 71% the year before. That’s progress in the right direction, but it’s not a huge leap. The implementation of progress monitoring throughout the state in 2023 appears to be having some positive effects. The number of D and F schools has decreased by 86% since that initial year. That’s the kind of statistic that’s simple to ignore but, when taken seriously, reveals a lot about what regular tracking can accomplish.
One noteworthy statistic from this year’s release was that a school that had a F the previous year went all the way up to an A. A turnaround that dramatic cannot be explained by a single factor. It takes sustained staff effort, better resources, administrative follow-through, and — it’s worth saying — students and families who don’t give up on a school just because it earned a bad grade. Whether that jump holds next year is a different question.
Things were more subdued in north Florida’s Big Bend area. The majority of district grades remained unchanged. The two most notable exceptions were Franklin County and Jefferson County, which both went from a C to a B. Although it’s a small improvement, it matters for smaller, rural districts that don’t always receive much attention from state representatives. Following the creation of a subcommittee by the university’s own Board of Trustees to identify areas for improvement, FAMU Developmental Research School also went from a C to a B. It’s difficult to determine if that committee truly spearheaded the change or if it merely happened to coincide with it.
Certain school stories are more significant than the letter grade by itself. For the 25th year in a row, Gilchrist Elementary in Tallahassee received an A. Hawk Rise Elementary achieved this feat for 26 consecutive years. It’s not an accident. The culture, staff retention, and parent involvement at those schools are all structurally sound. It’s worth keeping an eye on, particularly when districts are attempting to determine what works.
Not everything showed an upward trend. Greensboro Elementary in Gadsden County has been sliding since earning an A back in 2023, and this year received a D. That’s a steep drop over a short period, and the kind of trend that probably deserves more scrutiny than a letter grade alone can capture. Meanwhile, Sabal Palm Elementary — which made headlines last year for jumping from a D to an A for the first time in nearly two decades — slipped back to a B. That’s not necessarily alarming. A B is still a good grade, but a one-year spike is hard to maintain. However, it serves as a reminder that significant turnarounds are not always sustainable.
There are those who disagree with Florida’s school grading system. Some educators contend that the formula, which places a strong emphasis on graduation rates and standardized test scores, doesn’t fully reflect what schools accomplish for students. It’s still up for debate. However, the 2026 results indicate that the state’s combination of support and pressure since 2023 is yielding quantifiable outcomes for a greater number of students. That trend’s continuation or plateau will reveal a lot about the system’s long-term viability.
