South Florida school districts maintain their A grades

South Florida school districts are becoming perennially A-rated, with this year’s results bringing more good news.

The state has issued Broward and Palm Beach counties an A grade for the third year in a row, based on academic performance. Miami-Dade also maintained an A. That county as been A-rated every year since 2018, with the exception of two years during the pandemic when districts didn’t get graded.

“This demonstrates that the academic excellence at [Broward County Public Schools] is no longer a goal. It is our culture, and it is our expectation,” Broward School Board Vice Chairman Jeff Holness said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

“This achievement belongs to our students, our teachers, principals, staff, families, School Board and community partners,” Holness said. “Together they have demonstrated what is possible when an entire community is united around student success.”

Another point of pride is the scant number of D and F schools in South Florida. Broward had no D or F schools for the second year in a row. In Miami-Dade, one charter school, Collegiate Preparatory Academy, received a D, while in Palm Beach County, Glades Academy, which is also a charter school, tumbled from a B last year to an F this year.

This year, 61% of Broward schools were rated A, 25% B and 14% C.

Ten Broward schools climbed from a C last year to an A this year, including one-time D-rated McNicol Middle in Hollywood and two former F-rated schools, Royal Palm Elementary in Lauderhill and Morrow Elementary in North Lauderdale. All three schools got their first A grade ever. North Fork Elementary in Fort Lauderdale is going out on a high note. On the same year the district decided to close the school, it got its first-ever A grade.

After a banner year for high schools in 2025, Broward did see some slips, with seven high schools receiving a C after being an A or B last year.

In Palm Beach County, 54% of schools were rated A, 29% B and 16% C.

“Earning an ‘A’ rating from the Florida Department of Education once again reflects our ongoing commitment to sparking academic success and helping every student ignite their future,” Palm Beach County Superintendent Mike Burke said. “I am especially proud of the remarkable progress made by several schools to boost their school grades this year, as well as the schools that stayed the course to maintain their high grades.”

Five Palm Beach County schools climbed from a C to an A, including West Gate Elementary in West Palm Beach, which received its first A since 2009, and Glade View Elementary in Belle Glade, which received its first A since 2011. Forest Hill High in West Palm Beach improved from a B and secured its first A grade ever.

Other than Glades Academy, no Palm Beach County school slipped more than one letter grade this year.

In Miami-Dade, 63% of schools got A grades, 24% B and 12% C.

Several once low-performing schools got their first A grades ever, including Jesse J. McCary Elementary in Miami, North Dade Middle School in Miami Gardens and North Miami Beach Senior High.

Nine Miami-Dade schools slipped from an A to a C, including Pine Villa Elementary in the unincorporated Goulds community, Miami Edison Senior High School in Miami and Henry E.S. Reeves K-8 Center in Miami.

Grades in elementary schools are based largely on student performance on the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking, or FAST. The test is given three times a year in a system called “progress monitoring.” FAST is used in middle school and high school grades as well, but other factors are also included, such as end-of-course exams in several subjects, the number of students taking accelerated classes and high school graduation rates.

Statewide, 76% of all schools earned an A or a B school grade, up from 71% two years ago, the state Department of Education said in a release. In addition, 60% of all schools statewide increased their grade from the prior year or maintained an A grade.

“Florida continues to prove that high expectations, expanded school choice and strong accountability produce real results for students,” Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said. “I want to thank our teachers and parents for the important work they do each day to help students achieve their full potential. These results are worth celebrating, but they also challenge us to continue raising the bar. Together, we will build on this momentum, strengthen student achievement, and ensure even greater success for Florida’s schools in the years ahead.”