After three straight years with a C grade, Polk County Public Schools improved its grade from to a B in the 2024-25 academic year, according to a report released July 7 by the Florida Department of Education.
In the 2023-24 school year, the district fell one percentage point shy of a B grade. This year, it was one percentage point above the baseline needed for a B, scoring 58% of the total possible points.
“This is an outstanding accomplishment for our schools,” Superintendent Fred Heid said in prepared statement. “We’ve been making steady progress every year, thanks to the unwavering dedication of our students, teachers and staff. This is why we always tell our kids that hard work pays off.”
School grades incorporate up to 12 components, with five based on achievement in English/language arts, math, science and social studies. The state also measures overall learning gains, gains of the lowest 25% of students, middle school acceleration, graduation rate and college and career acceleration, the report said.
Each component counts for up to 100 points in the overall calculation. The points are added, and then the total is divided by the maximum number of possible points to determine the percentage earned.
Polk County schools that improved
Among Polk Public Schools, 14 improved their grades from the previous year.
Two improved from an A to a B: Jewett School of the Arts and Winston Academy of Engineering.
Five improved from a D to a C: Crystal Lake Elementary, Stambaugh Middle School, McLaughlin Academy of Excellence and Auburndale and Kathleen high schools.
In February, the district received a one-year extension from the state to bring Crystal Lake Elementary’s grade up to a C and avoid closure. Prior to this year’s grade, the school was rated D for four years running.
When a school receives either an F score or two consecutive Ds, the district must create a plan for improvement. A school that improves to a C is not required to continue with the turnaround plan but is monitored for three years, according to the Department of Education.
The state report listed charter schools, as well, which aren’t run by the public school district. Among those, three improved their grades this year: Cypress Junction Montessori, from a C to a B; Hartridge Academy, from a B to an A; and Navigator Academy of Leadership, from a C to a B.
Schools that slipped
Nineteen Polk public schools saw their grades fall in 2024-25. Three of those fell from a C grade in 2023-24 to a D grade now: Dixieland Elementary, Eagle Lake Elementary and Kathleen Middle School.
Three schools fell more than one letter grade, from an A to a C: Chain of Lakes Elementary, Oscar J. Pope Elementary and Scott Lake Elementary.
Among the charter schools in the report, Edward W. Bok Academy North fell from a B to a C.
For the third consecutive year, no schools run by the Polk district received an F grade, and the district continued to lower the number of schools rated D. Five schools received D grades this year, compared with seven in 2023-24 and 12 in in 2022-23.
Learning gains
Polk County public school students improved in 24 of 36 categories on the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking tests in 2024-25, according to results released by the FDOE in late June.
The tests cover nine academic subjects and levels: English language arts, algebra 1, algebra 2, civics, U.S. history, biology, mathematics, geometry and science.
A higher percentage of students passed in seven of eight grade-level categories for English language arts, the state report showed. In math, Polk students showed gains in three of four categories and in three of six grade levels for algebra 1.
Polk County recorded higher passing rates in all four grades for U.S. history and one of two grades for civics.
One of two grade levels improved for science, while Polk County had higher passing rates in four of five grades for biology 1.
“We’re very pleased with this year’s results, but we’re not yet satisfied. We’ll use this momentum to keep improving,” Heid said. “With that said, our community deserves to celebrate. So many people have played a role in this great achievement: students, teachers, staff, parents, guardians and volunteers. I’m incredibly grateful for their commitment, and so very proud to be part of Polk County Public Schools.”
Information from previous reporting by The Ledger’s Gary White was used in this report.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: After 3 years with a C grade, Polk County school district improves to a B
Reporting by Andy Kuppers and Gary White, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
