Three schools in Flagler County received an “A” grade for the 2021-2022 school year from the Florida Department of Education when grades were released on July 7.
Old Kings Elementary, Belle Terre Elementary and Indian Trails Middle School are the three Palm Coast schools that received an “A” grade.
According to the release the schools statewide “exceeded expectations” in the 2021-2022 academic year, which marks the first full school grade data release since 2019. Grades were not assessed for the 2019-2020 year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and schools were given the choice to opt-in to be graded for 2020-2021.
The state reported that 100% of schools in Florida graded “F” in 2019 improved their grades in 2022, and that overall, elementary schools had the largest increase in the percentage of schools increasing their grade with 20%, or 351, improving by one or more letter grade.
In Flagler County, grades remained the same for the majority of schools between 2022 and 2021. No school opted in to be assessed in the 2020-2021 school year.
Two schools saw their grades decrease by a letter grade: Rymfire Elementary School went from a “B” in 2019 to a “C” in 2022, and Flagler Palm Coast High School’s grade fell from a “B” in 2019 to a “C” in 2022. Old Kings Elementary School was the only one in the district to improve by a letter grade, going from a “B” in 2019 to an “A” in 2022.
The school district grade for Flagler County did drop to a “B” in 2022 from 2019, when it earned an “A.”
In a news release by Flagler Schools, the district expressed that it has “areas of celebration and areas to build upon as we prepare for the upcoming school year.”
“I am proud of the effort put forth by our school-based administrators, teachers, staff, students, and parents during this past school year. We will take the next few weeks to take a deep dive into the numbers,” said Flagler Schools Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt. “We recognize there are areas for targeted improvements, but I know our teachers, students, and school administrators are already preparing to address this in the upcoming school year.”
On a statewide level, DOE was optimistic about the results, which also showed that 84% of schools graded “D” and “F” in 2019 improved their grades in 2022. In addition, the district reported that 469 schools increased their grade in 2022, while 825 schools maintained an “A” grade and 348 schools maintained a “B” grade compared to 2019.
“When I reflect on these school grades and the recent test results, the significant student growth, achievement gap closure and school-wide achievements validate Florida’s approach to get our schools open first and return to normalcy as quickly as possible,” said State Board of Education Chair Tom Grady in the news release.
