The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) released district and school grades today, and Escambia County Public Schools has maintained a grade of ‘B,’ despite rising state standards.
Along with the new higher scale scores adopted last year for reaching proficiency on each exam, the state has raised the percentage cut score for each grade of the school grading system for districts and for some schools.
Elementary schools retained the scale used since 2015 while all other levels saw the score ranges increased by two to three points. To maintain the overall ‘B’, Escambia was required to score at least three points higher than in 2022.
Ninety percent of ECPS schools upheld or exceeded past years’ performances. Overall, 13 ECPS schools earned a letter grade of A, 12 schools earned a letter grade of B, 25 schools earned a letter grade of C, and one school earned a letter grade of D, surpassing Escambia County Public Schools’ 2019’s pre-COVID data. No ECPS schools earned a grade of F.
“We are so proud of our schools for all their hard work,” said ECPS Superintendent Keith Leonard. “These school grades are a testament to the commitment of our administrators, teachers, and students. While we are very proud, we intend to keep our eyes forward and continue to improve. We owe a special debt of gratitude to all of our students, employees, community members, and our fully supportive and engaged school board. It takes all of us, united, to achieve our goals ”
At the elementary school level, Cordova Park has earned an A every year since 2002, as has Brown Barge at the middle school level. At the high school level, West Florida High School has earned an A since 2005.
Bellview Elementary, Holm Elementary, and McArthur Elementary each jumped from a grade of C last year to As this year. Bellview has improved from a D in 2022 to an A in 2024. Montclair Elementary, Warrington Elementary, Lincoln Park Elementary and Global Learning Academy each raised their school grades from Fs to Cs.
Individually, an impressive 90% of Molino Park Elementary’s students showed learning gains in math. Similarly, 91% of N.B. Cook’s third graders were proficient in English Language Arts.
Escambia County Public Schools’ middle school acceleration rate was the fourth-highest in the state of Florida. The middle school acceleration rate measures proficiency on high school level courses taken by middle school students, such as Algebra and Biology, as well as high school level industry certifications earned by middle school students.
More information on school accountability can be found at https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/accountability-reporting/school-grades/index.stml
