For the first time since Florida began assigning letter grades to schools and districts, all three counties in the Tampa Bay area have earned A\u2019s, with none of their schools receiving an F.<\/p>\n
The improvement mirrored gains across much of the state. The Department of Education reported that three quarters of schools statewide made an A or B, up from 71% a year ago, with three in five increasing their mark or maintaining an A.<\/p>\n
The Hillsborough and Pasco districts were two of five to rise from B in 2025 to A this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy keeping our focus on academic achievement and minimizing distractions, our families, students and educators have achieved remarkable academic success,\u201d Pasco County superintendent John Legg said. \u201cThese incredible gains are a testament to what is possible when everyone works toward the same goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pasco district had three schools \u2014 New River Elementary, Gulfside Elementary and Gulf Middle \u2014 rise to A from D a year ago. Chester Taylor Elementary, its only F-rated school in 2025, improved to a C.<\/p>\n
Including charters, Pasco had only seven schools decrease a letter grade, while all the others gained or maintained.<\/p>\n
Hillsborough County saw all but 31 of its 260 schools, including charters, improve or remain steady in their marks as the district upped its rating.<\/p>\n
That includes three schools \u2014 Washington Elementary, Wilson Elementary and Kids Community College Riverview \u2014 rising to B from D. One charter school rose from C to A, with 17 other schools moving from B to A. Two schools previously rated C dropped to a D.<\/p>\n
Superintendent Van Ayres said he was proud of the improvement from three years ago, when the district had 29 D schools and 4 F schools.<\/p>\n
The A grades across the region were \u201ckind of cool for Tampa Bay,\u201d Ayres said. The first A for Hillsborough in over a decade, he added, was something for the whole district to celebrate.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my focuses has been to eliminate underperforming schools,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m particularly proud of teachers and staff members. It\u2019s about everything from student nutrition staff, and custodial staff and principals and teachers working together. This result is everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
School board chairperson Karen Perez noted that all the district\u2019s \u201ctransformation\u201d schools on the state\u2019s watch list had earned an A, B or C for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really speaks to our teachers, how we\u2019re directing the work, and the guidance we\u2019re providing,\u201d Perez said.<\/p>\n
Pinellas County, meanwhile, saw a third consecutive year of earning an A districtwide, ranking 14th in points earned among all districts, with no schools graded below C. Among its 129 campuses, including charters, 12 declined a mark.<\/p>\n
All but 10 Pinellas schools received an A or B. Two schools \u2014 Bay Point Elementary and Dunedin Elementary \u2014 improved to A from C.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur schools work very, very hard to increase their grades,\u201d said Dawn Peters, school board vice chairperson. \u201cThey should get all the praise.\u201d<\/p>\n
One school that\u2019s celebrating is Campbell Park Elementary in St. Petersburg, once among the state\u2019s lowest performing schools. Having received an F seven years ago, it climbed to its first A this year.<\/p>\n
Principal Kim Noorbakhsh, who has worked at the school for nine years including two as its leader, said the steady gain in academic achievement came as the result of several critical factors including great teaching, strong relationships with families, data-driven decisions for instructional choices and strong operating systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe stayed relentless,\u201d Noorbakhsh said. \u201cWe\u2019re not done. This is just the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
She already plans to focus attention on learning gains in reading, saying those results weren\u2019t as high as the school wanted.<\/p>\n
While they plan to cheer the positive news, Peters and others said they don\u2019t intend to rest on those results. There\u2019s much more work to do, Legg said, noting that schools that moved out of state oversight status will continue to need help to advance rather than slide back.<\/p>\n
Even top performers have room to grow, Peters said. The information in the data released Wednesday will help educators determine their next steps, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is never over,\u201d Peters said.<\/p>\n
To see the full school grade report, visit the Florida Department of Education website<\/a>.<\/p>\n