The grades are in for the state’s school districts. Lee County maintained its B rating and several of its schools improved their standings.
The 2024-2025 School Grades report takes four former “D” rated schools from the watch list but adds another.
Amanecer (Ah-MAHN-ah-sir) Elementary, Edgewood Elementary, J. Colin English Elementary, and Lemuel Teal Middle School all improved from a “D” to a “C.” Tortuga Preserve Elementary dropped to a D and will be under state supervision next school year. No Lee County schools received an F rating.
14 schools received an A grade and 27 earned a B.
Overall, the district continues to rank ninth among the largest 10 school districts in Florida.
Here are the grades the state released for counties in WGCU's viewing and listening area:
Broward, A
Charlotte, B
Collier, A
DeSoto, C
Glades, B
Hendry, B
Highlands, B
Manatee, B
Miami-Dade, A
Monroe, A
Palm Beach, A
Sarasota, A
Regarding its B rating, the Lee County School District issued a press release with its plans to improve.
"The school district has implemented several changes for the upcoming school year to support its priority of improving academic achievement," it read. Among these are:
- A 5% budget cut in the central office to increase school support.
- An administrative reorganization to reduce bureaucracy.
- Incentives for teachers to teach the most critical subjects in the most at-risk schools.
- Increased the School Development Team to focus on schools in need.
- Project Believe to hire a high-quality, dedicated teacher for every classroom.
- The Safe Start Initiative to change school start times and reduce the number of students missing school due to late buses. Thirty minutes of instruction was also added at the high school level.
- Requiring cell phones to be turned off and put in backpacks during the upcoming school year.
“We are just getting started,” said Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin. “Our goal is to be the number one district in the State of Florida. The team we have put in place and the changes ready to greet students and staff when they return to school on August 11 will take us there. We will not rest until we are number one.”
For a complete list of schools and grades, go to https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/accountability-reporting/school-grades/
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