For the first time since Florida replaced its former standardized tests with a new progress monitoring system, Leon County educators can now compare student performance from one year to the next.
The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) was introduced in 2023 to monitor student progress with three exams administered throughout the school year for math and English; at the beginning to provide a baseline, at the end of the second nine weeks, and a final time at the end of the school year.
With the second year of implementation completed, it is now possible to compare results from the 2023 FAST results to the 2025 test results. Previously the state administered the Florida State Assessment and due to a change in scoring metrics proficiency gains were unable to be accurately analyzed.
How did your school fare? Check our Florida Standardized Testing scorecard and see how your class and school district did in this year’s round of testing
According to data released June 25 by the Florida Department of Education, Leon County students overall made up to 5% gains in math and 4% in English language arts, reflecting statewide trends and offering a clearer picture of academic progress under the new model.
“I am proud of our students and teachers for their hard work during the past school year,” Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr., said. “Today’s results affirm that our first-in-the-nation statewide progress monitoring system is making a difference for our students. Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Florida will continue to provide the best opportunities for our students.”
The state showed a 4% gain in math proficiency with 59% of students in grades 3 to 8 performing at or above grade level. The average for Leon County students in the same grades is 57%, a 3% increase compared to the district’s results in 2024.
An average of 57% of students in grades 3 to 10 across the state were proficient on the English test, another 4% gain from the previous year’s results. Leon County’s results showed a 3% gain in literacy with a 55% districtwide average.
No one with the district was readily available June 26 to comment on the test results, and Superintendent Rocky Hanna said he would not be ready to provide a statement until he is fully informed on the data by district staff.
Here’s how local schools did
Leon County third graders made a 3% gain in math proficiency with a 63% average of students passing the exam. On the English test, 57% of third graders passed, marking a 2% increase.
Hawks Rise has the greatest passing rate for third-grade performance on the English exam at 86% and Hartsfield Elementary has the lowest rate with only 22% of its students passing. Last year, 34% of third graders at the school passed the exam.
In 2024, Sabal Palm Elementary had a concerningly low rate of 28% of students passing the English test. The school excelled to 56% of students reading at or above grade level at the school, according to 2025 results.
The highest average in proficiency for students in the district were third graders on the math exam, which averaged 63% of students passing.
For the second year in a row, Gilchrist Elementary School leads the district in third-grade math scores at 89%. Even though the average is higher than other schools it signifies a drop from the schools 92% average in 2024.
The school with the lowest third-grade math proficiency rate is Fort Braden K-8 school with only 20% of its students performing at or above grade level. Last year, the school’s rate was the same.
Passing the 10th-grade English exam is crucial to receive a high school diploma, and only 55% of the district’s students performed at or above standards.
Similar to last year’s results, SAIL leads the district with the highest average of passing students at 81%, and Godby trails behind with 30% of its students’ showing proficiency, a 5% drop from 2024 results.
The School of Arts and Sciences on Thomasville Road performed highest on the grade 3 English exam with a 72% passing rate. It’s affiliate, the School of Arts and Sciences at the Centre, holds the highest proficiency rating for the third-grade math exam at 66%.
Tallahassee Classical School had the lowest rate of passing third graders among charter schools in the district with a 44% rate on the math exam and a 36% rate on the English exam.
Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: See which Leon Schools improved and which fell behind on state testing
Reporting by Alaijah Brown, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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