Photo courtesy of STOCK

By David L Snelling

MIAMI – More than half of Florida’s public schools received an “A” grade  including three South Florida school districts.

According to the Florida Department of Education, Miami-Dade County, Broward County and Palm Beach Public Schools were among the 34 districts to receive an A for the 2025-2026 school year.

It means that at least 64 percent of schools in the districts where students were among the top performers in the state.

It’s the seventh consecutive A for Miami-Dade, the fourth largest school district in the nation, three straight years for Broward County, the sixth largest school district in the country, and two consecutive years for Palm Beach County Public Schools.

“Seven years of excellence. Seven years of earned trust. We are proud to announce that Miami-Dade County Public Schools has earned an “A” rating once again,” said Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Jose L. Dotres. “This historic milestone belongs to our incredible students, families, educators, and staff. Thank you for making M-DCPS a district built on Excellence, Choice, Innovation, and Safety.”

Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn said an A school district demonstrates students improvement and maintained performance across nearly all tested subjects.

Hepburn said among the most notable achievements, ELA performance increased at every grade level tested, with each grade posting gains of three or more percentage points compared to the prior year.

In addition, BCPS tied or outperformed the state and Florida’s four other large districts (Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Orange and Palm Beach counties) in most tested subjects.

“These results highlight the incredible dedication of our teachers, school leaders, staff and families, and the hard work and perseverance of our students.” said Hepburn. ” I am proud of the sustained academic growth and achievement we are seeing across nearly every tested subject area. It is a testament to the commitment of our District, School Board, and community to provide a strong academic foundation for all students.”

The School District of Palm Beach County said an “A” school district proves academic excellence in all public schools.

The district highlighted that 143 schools (84 percent) are rated A or B, which is up from 120 from last year, 38 schools improved their letter grade and four schools earned A grades, up from C grades the prior school year.

“This incredible achievement is a testament to the hard work of our students, teachers, school leaders, support staff, and community,” the school district said on social media. “It showcases the School District of Palm Beach County’s commitment to sparking academic success and helping every student ignite their future.”

The top performing schools in Florida were St. Johns (76 percent), Walton, Nassau, and Lafayette (74 percent), and Indian River and Collier (73 percent).

DeSoto County scored the lowest, earning 53 percent of total possible points.

The next lowest were Gadsden (55 percent), Okeechobee (56 percent) and Hamilton, Hardee, Holmes, Madison, and Putnam each with 57 percent).

Ten school districts were a C school and no districts had a D or F.

The metrics are learning gains and scores in English, math, science, social studies; graduation rate; and students pursuing accelerated courses like AP, IB, dual enrollment, and industry certification.

“Florida continues to prove that high expectations, expanded school choice and strong accountability produce real results for students,” outgoing Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said in a news release.

Though no school district received an F, six schools had a failing grade.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Elementary in Alachua County, Visible Men Academy in Manatee County, McIntosh Area School in Marion County, and Virtual Preparatory Academy of Florida in Osceola County all received an F grade.