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Florida Department of Education releases school grades

The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) on Monday released school grades for the 2022-23 school year.

As a part of Florida’s first-in-the-nation transition to using progress monitoring instead of traditional high stakes testing, grades for the 2022-2023 school year serve as a baseline and carry no negative consequences, according to a news release.

Using these results as a baseline, schools and districts can work toward improved performance in future years, school officials said.

For the full report, click here.

FDOE developed a new test, Florida’s Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST). Unlike end-of-year high stakes testing, FAST is a progress monitoring system that provides teachers, students and parents real-time, immediate and actionable data at the beginning, middle and end of the school year to drive student improvement.

Spectrum Bay News 9 has reached out to school districts in the area for statements and reaction to the results. We'll be posting them below.

CITRUS COUNTY (GRADE: B)

"The positive outcomes we’re witnessing are a direct reflection of the persistence and dedication of our students, teachers, and instructional staff.  We're incredibly proud of the accomplishments of our schools!"

HERNANDO COUNTY (GRADE: B)

According to today’s report, the Hernando School District (HCSD) earned 58% of the total points possible, maintaining a district grade of B. This marks the 6th year since 2015 the school district received a B grade by FLDOE. Hernando Schools did not receive grades for 2020 and 2021 because of the impact of Covid on schools. In contrast to the state’s former assessment, the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) scores, the FAST scores did not include the calculation that awarded additional points for student learning gains.

“We were concerned at first” said Sonsee Sanders, Director of Research & Accountability for HCSD. “But it is remarkable that despite not having the learning gains calculation as part of the grade calculations that the district increased our total points earned from 56% to 58%.”

Five of Hernando’s schools improved a full letter grade. Brooksville, Deltona, Moton and Westside Elementary moved from a C to a B. But it is Eastside Elementary, the district’s only “turnaround school,” that can mark this year as a notable achievement, moving their school from a D to a C.

“We are so thrilled for these schools!” said Gina Michalicka, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning. “The ultimate goal for all of our schools is increased student achievement. Our teachers and administrators pour over student assessment data and spend long days refining their instructional practice together. To be recognized in this way is so validating to their hard work.”

Read the school district's full response by clicking here .

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY (GRADE: B)

“Over the summer we anticipated what school grades might look like with the state's new grading formula.  When schools opened in August, our schools immediately began taking necessary steps to help build capacity and provide guidance on systems and structures based on the needs of each school. We are seeing some positive results. Many of our students are improving their proficiency in ELA and Math. While that may not be reflected in this year's school grades, we anticipate positive results next year when student learning gains are again included in the school grades.” 

- Hillsborough County Public Schools Superintendent Van Ayres

MANATEE COUNTY (GRADE: B)

NOTE: We have not heard from the school district about its results.

PASCO COUNTY (GRADE: B)

Pasco County Schools maintained a B grade for 2023 according to the district grades and school grades released Monday by the Florida Department of Education (DOE). These are informational baseline grades. Pasco has maintained a B grade since 2017.

“I’m pleased to see what our schools have accomplished, and 2 (50%) of our schools are no longer at an F status,” said Kurt Browning, Pasco Superintendent of Schools. “Now that we have the baseline grades, our teachers and administrators are focused on these data and planning for greater accomplishments based on this mid-year reflection. These data will help us to make informed decisions about improvements for the remainder of the year.”

Seventy-seven percent of Pasco schools earned an A, B, or C grade, and half of Pasco’s schools earned A’s and B’s. 26 of our 94 schools received A’s. Three of our schools moved up from B’s to an A. Other highlights this year include 12 schools increased their overall grade.

Six of our schools received an I [incomplete] Pasco County Schools will be looking at appeals for these schools and will know more info about why they received an “I” once we receive the data file. Often, an “I” is given to schools that do not meet the participation rate.

PINELLAS COUNTY (GRADE: B)

“I am proud of the results of our schools and district during this initial, baseline year for school grades. Student success guides the daily and long-term work of the district. Schools are the heart of that transformation and their results during the 2022-23 school year are tremendous.” said Superintendent Kevin Hendrick.

The district focus on the middle school experience is evident with 10 middle schools improving their school grade. Tyrone Middle School earned a C, rising from the district’s only F the previous year. The commitment and effort of the school teams to improvement is clear across the district. The Transformation Zone continues to focus on student proficiency, long-term progress and supporting any schools demonstrating the need for more focused intervention. To read the school district's full statement, click here .

POLK COUNTY (GRADE: C)

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Florida school grades for 2023 released. Did your district get an A? Results are on this map

On Monday, Dec. 11, the Florida Department of Education released school FAST grades for the 2022-2023 school year. Check this map to see how your local schools performed .

Each school is graded A, B, C, D, or F based on up to seven applicable components: four achievement components, a middle school acceleration component, and components for graduation rates and college and career acceleration. Schools must test at least 95% of their students.

The grades reflect Florida's new standards, Florida’s Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) , a progress monitoring system administered three times a year to students in pre-kindergarten through 10th grade that provides real-time data throughout the school year for student improvement.

The FAST test ( SB 1048) was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in March 2022 to replace the grade-level Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) in English language arts and mathematics. The exam tracks a student’s progress in learning the required reading and mathematics materials within  Florida’s Benchmarks of Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards .

“These school grades serve as a baseline for districts and provide a starting point for future achievement,” said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr.“I look forward to seeing schools rise to the occasion as they continue to provide Florida students a first-rate education.”

As these are the initial results of the new testing standards, grades will serve as a baseline and will carry no negative consequences for the schools. You can read the complete report at fldoe.org/accountability/accountability-reporting/school-grades or see results through the FDOE Family Portal .

Four Florida Department of Education achievement components

These include student performance on statewide standardized assessments, including the comprehensive and end-of-course (EOC) assessments. According to the Florida DOE, the component measures the percentage of full-year enrolled students who achieved a passing score.

• English Language Arts (ELA)
• Mathematics
• Social Studies

Middle School Acceleration

This component is based on the percentage of eligible students who passed a high school level EOC assessment or industry certification.

Graduation Rate

The graduation rate is based on an adjusted cohort of ninth-grade students and measures whether the students graduate within four years.

College and Career Acceleration

This component is based on the percentage of graduates from the graduation rate cohort who:

• Earned a passing score on an acceleration examination (qualifying AP, IB, or AICE)
• Earned a passing grade in a dual enrollment course that qualified for college credit
• Earned 300 clock hours through career dual enrollment courses in the same approved program
• Earned an Armed Services Qualification Test score and two course credits within the same military branch, or
• Earned an industry certification

Does FAST reduce testing for Florida students?

It increases them, as it doesn't eliminate the big end-of-year tests for students, according to the  Florida Education Association.

"Because this bill deals with progress monitoring from prekindergarten through 10th grade, it requires even 4-year old children to sit in front of a computer and take a statewide, standardized test. This is not what DeSantis promised, and most importantly it is not what is best for Florida’s students," the organization said on its website.

Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida, contributed to this story.

Florida school grades 2023: See the Department of Education's grades for all Florida schools by county

Florida lawmakers may end school recesses.

Florida may stop requiring recess in schools. State lawmakers are considering no longer making it a requirement. It would also change recess to a so-called "brain break."

School grades are in!

The Florida Department of Education recently released its official school grades this week, a tool that helps measure each school's performance year over year. 

For the 2022-23 school year, grades were based on four achievement components (English, math, science and social studies), a middle school acceleration component, and components for graduation rate and college and career acceleration, according to the Florida Department of Education. These components are worth up to 100 points toward the overall calculation. 

This year, however, grades only serve as baseline data and do not carry a penalty since the state transitioned to using progress monitoring instead of high-stakes testing, according to a press release from Marion County Public Schools. 

A full list of Florida elementary, middle and high schools in Florida and their grades is available below. 

How Florida Department of Education determines school grades

The attached document below is an explainer from the state about how it determines grades for every school, including components and their respective weights. 

How Central Florida school districts measured up in 2023

Volusia county.

Volusia County Schools maintained a B grade, and over half its schools earned an A or B rating, according to a press release from the county. No schools received a D or F grade. 

Seminole County

Seminole County Public Schools earned an A rating again for the 2022-23 school year, according to a press release . The district is ranked No. 1 compared to Central Florida districts. 

Marion County

Marion County Public Schools moved up to a B rating, according to a press release from the county. 

Flagler County

Flagler County Schools earned a B rating, according to a press release from the county. 

"As a district, though we have opportunities for improvement, we are moving in the right direction. I am confident that we will continue to improve academic achievement," Superintendent LaShakia Moore said. 

Alachua County

Alachua County Public Schools congratulated its schools for boosting or maintaining A-grade status. The district as a whole earned a B grade. 

Sumter County

Sumter County School District Superintendent Richard Shirley shared the following statement with FOX 35:

"We are proud of the efforts of our students, teachers, principals and other staff members and are glad to have an ‘A’ grade, even in a year when it is primarily for informational purposes. However, we still have much to do to finish the work for our students and community."

Florida school grades 2023

Here's a look at all the school grades from the Florida Department of Education for 2022-23. It's important to note that these grades are informational baseline grades, and do not carry a penalty.  

To see this year's grade, first find your school or district near the left side of the document (sorted alphabetically), and then move over to the "Informational Baseline Grade 2023" column. Grades from past years become available as you move right. 

Florida school district grades

Florida elementary school grades, florida middle school grades, florida high school grades, florida combination school grades.

Click here for more information from the Florida Department of Education. 

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Florida Department of Education releases district and school grades

• Posted December 11, 2023

MEDIA RELEASE

Brooksville - The Florida Department of Education released the annual report of school and district grades for 2023. The report, typically released during the summer months, was released today as a result of new testing benchmarks established with the 2023 spring assessments. Starting with the 2023 administration of the Florida Assessment for Student Thinking (FAST), the state will apply a new calculation to determine school and district grades.

According to today’s report, the Hernando School District (HCSD) earned 58% of the total points possible, maintaining a district grade of B. This marks the 6th year since 2015 the school district received a B grade by FLDOE. Hernando Schools did not receive grades for 2020 and 2021 because of the impact of Covid on schools. In contrast to the state’s former assessment, the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) scores, the FAST scores did not include the calculation that awarded additional points for student learning gains.

“We were concerned at first” said Sonsee Sanders, Director of Research & Accountability for HCSD. “But it is remarkable that despite not having the learning gains calculation as part of the grade calculations that the district increased our total points earned from 56% to 58%.”

Five of Hernando’s schools improved a full letter grade. Brooksville, Deltona, Moton and Westside Elementary moved from a C to a B. But it is Eastside Elementary, the district’s only “turnaround school,” that can mark this year as a notable achievement, moving their school from a D to a C.

“We are so thrilled for these schools!” said Gina Michalicka, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning. “The ultimate goal for all of our schools is increased student achievement. Our teachers and administrators pour over student assessment data and spend long days refining their instructional practice together. To be recognized in this way is so validating to their hard work.”

All 5 of the district’s high schools maintained their grades from last year as did two of the 4 middle schools. Fox Chapel and Powell both dropped a grade. With the exception of Winding Waters moving from a B to a C, K-8 schools maintained their grades and the district’s virtual school Hernando eSchool, moved up from a B to an A.

“With the first year of this new state assessment behind us, we’ll use this data and refocus on the 2024 action plan,” said Superintendent John Stratton. Students don’t stop learning and growing, neither will we.

Congratulations to all of our students, teachers, administrators and parents who were part of their school’s success journey.”

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Florida has handed out grades for every school and school district. Here’s how our 11 area districts fared

Travis Gibson , Digital reporter/editor

Ariel Schiller , Reporter , Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) on Monday released school grades for the 2022-23 school year.

School districts in St. Johns, Clay and Nassau counties all received an “A” while those in Alachua, Baker, Columbia, Duval, Flagler and Union received a “B”. Bradford and Putnam county school districts got a “C”.

The new data shows no change in the letter grades for the 11 school districts in our area.

MORE: Click here for the full district and school breakdown

As a part of Florida’s transition to using progress monitoring instead of traditional high-stakes testing, grades for the 2022-2023 school year will serve as a baseline and carry no negative consequences, FDOE said.

Schools and Districts will now use their 2022-23 baseline grades from the FAST assessment to make changes in instructional practices that will lead to better outcomes for students.

“These school grades serve as a baseline for districts and provide a starting point for future achievement,” said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. “I look forward to seeing schools rise to the occasion as they continue to provide Florida students a first-rate education.”

RELATED: F.A.S.T. testing replacing FSA in Florida after Gov. DeSantis signs bill

Howard Collins’ granddaughter attends First Coast High School.

“She’s pleased with the school. You know she has to learn better study habits going into high school from middle school and she’s working on it but I don’t think we have any problem with First Coast, I think it’s a great school,” Collins said.

Marieana Turner’s son attends First Coast High School.

“The teachers are great, I love the principal. Any questions that I may have they reach out to me. I think Duval County is doing a great job in our region with our school and with our kids,” Turner said. “Duval County is a great district. The school, First Coast High School, is a very good school for high school students, no complaints at all.”

Copyright 2023 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.

About the Authors

Travis gibson.

Digital reporter who has lived in Jacksonville for over 25 years and focuses on important local issues like education and the environment.

Ariel Schiller

Ariel Schiller joined the News4Jax team as an evening reporter in September of 2023. She comes to Jacksonville from Tallahassee where she worked at ABC27 as a Weekend Anchor/Reporter for 10 months.

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Education On 6

Florida school grades 2022: see what every south florida school earned, pass or fail see 2022 grades for every school in miami-dade, broward, palm beach and monroe counties, by nbc 6 south florida • published july 8, 2022 • updated on july 10, 2022 at 12:00 pm.

The Florida Department of Education released its annual report card for every school in the state Thursday, grading each school on an “A” through “F” scale.

The state also released its school districts' grades, in which Miami-Dade County Public School celebrated another A and Broward County Public Schools retained its B – only one percentage point away from an A.

📺 24/7 South Florida news stream: Watch NBC6 free wherever you are

Fifty-four percent of the Miami-Dade schools earned an A, and nearly all schools in the district earned an A, B or C.

"Thank you @MDCPS ’ teachers and leaders, students and parents, staff, and community on another A-district rating!" Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said in a tweet . "Three years in a row."

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Meanwhile, 45 percent of Broward schools received an A, while 79 percent of schools received an A, B, or C grade.

"When we take a look at the number of schools that received a school grade of A or B, percentage-wise, we’re higher than what the state average is, and so this is amazing news for us," said Broward Schools Superintendent Dr. Vickie Cartwright while speaking about the challenges the district faced.

Education officials said individual schools are graded on a variety of factors , including standardized test scores, graduation rates, and industry certifications earned.

Here are the individual grades for every school in Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Monroe counties – and the entire state of Florida.

Click here to see 2022 grades for individual school s and districts throughout the state of Florida.

Get updates on what's happening in South Florida in your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.

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Florida school grades are in. See how your child’s school performed

7 central florida school districts got a “b” grade.

Christie Zizo , Digital Editor

ORLANDO, Fla. – The grades are out for schools and school districts across Florida.

The Florida Department of Education released the grades for the 2022 to 2023 school year on Monday. The state is moving to a new progress monitoring system, Florida’s Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST), and since this is the first year, and these grades are serving as an “informational baseline,” which will be used as the level schools and districts will measure against in the future.

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The grades are not expected to have any negative consequences for this school year. However, the agency says that learning gains and consequences with school grades will return for the 2023-2024 school year.

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In the 10-county Central Florida area, Seminole and Sumter school districts received “A” grades.

Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola and Volusia school districts received “B” grades.

Polk County received a “C” grade.

Below is a searchable list of public school grades for our area. You can look up specific school grades there.

For a complete report on Florida’s school grades, including an explanation of how each school was graded, head to the Florida Department of Education website.

Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily :

Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

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Christie zizo.

Christie joined the ClickOrlando team in November 2021.

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New Florida test scores show students progress, but half below grade level in reading

Almost half of the Treasure Coast's students finished the school year unable to read on grade level, according to the state's new assessment results.

The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking, or FAST, test scores, released Thursday by the Florida Department of Education, showed progress students made throughout the school year as they mastered skills in reading and math. English Language Arts, math and science test scores, including scores from end-of-course exams in algebra, geometry and biology, were released.

State and local educators said comparing scores from this year to previous scores was invalid because the test had changed.

FAST Testing Scorecard: Florida Schools

Florida's students moved from the Florida Standards Assessment, or FSA, to the FAST this year. The new assessment tool is a three-pronged testing approach that educators say helps teachers zero in on individual student strengths and weaknesses early, then use results to tailor instruction in reading and math throughout the year.

"The initial transition to a new assessment system is always a welcome opportunity to review data and develop new ways to provide tailored support and innovative educational experiences to our students," Martin County schools Superintendent Michael Maine said in a statement. "We have found great value in FAST and our ability to carefully monitor students' growth and make adjustments throughout the school year."

The tests are aligned with new math and English language arts standards the state adopted last year.

Treasure Coast district officials were pleased with how their students fared compared to their classmates around the state. Indian River County students, for example, improved in state rankings when compared to other districts, schools Superintendent David Moore said in a statement.

"It is abundantly clear from a review of the data that the (district) continues to be an exemplar for the state on providing the instructional quality and supports needed to realize continuous improvement for the benefit of students," Moore said. "Our school teams, district teams, and students are to be commended and celebrated for their unwavering expectations and work that contributed to the current outcomes.” 

St. Lucie County school district officials were unavailable for comment.

The data shows how students learn each grade's material throughout the year, beginning with low initial scores because they are unfamiliar with the material.

Statewide, about 33% of students in grades 3-10 began the year able to read on grade level. By the end of the year, half the students were on or above grade level.

In Indian River and Martin, 32% of the students in grades 3-10 began at grade level, with 52% of students in Indian River and 51% in Martin finishing the year at grade level. In St. Lucie County, 28% of students began the year at grade level, improving to 45% by year's end.

Florida third graders began the year with 22% reading at or above grade level, finishing with 50% reading at or above grade level.

Indian River third graders began the year with 20% on grade level, finishing with 60% at grade level. Martin third graders improved from 19% at grade level to 51%, while St. Lucie went from 17% at grade level to 42%.

More: Are Florida students testing more? First year of new state assessments is now underway

The Class of COVID: This year's seniors fell behind, missed traditions but are moving on

Colleen Wixon is the education reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers. Contact her at 772-978-2235 or [email protected].

Grad Rates Soared at a School Few Wanted to Attend. How It Happened

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Michael Randolph, the principal of Leesburg High School in Lake County, Fla., had a wide grin on his face in all the pictures of him handing out diplomas to the graduating class. After all, it’s taken seven years of hard work to get here.

The graduation, held in mid-May, was a historic one for the school—the highest number of seniors were graduating in its 98-year-old history. In Randolph’s seven years as principal of Leesburg, the graduation rate has climbed from 67 percent to 88.9 percent, comparable to other schools in Lake County, and better than the state’s average of 88 percent .

When Randolph first took over the helm, though, this milestone might have seemed like a stretch.

“We were being looked at [by the district] as a takeover school , ” he said. “We had major perception issues. But to be honest, we had earned them.”

When Randolph came on board in 2017, the school had close to 3,000 disciplinary referrals, and the school was known for fights and drug use on campus, not for its academics. Chronic absenteeism rates hovered around 45 percent for Leesburg’s white students, about 28 percent for its Black students, and nearly 17 percent for Hispanic students. (Chronic absenteeism is broadly defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days, for excused and unexcused reasons.)

Eighty percent of the about 1,775 students at the school are identified as “economically disadvantaged” by the Florida Department of Education. Several Leesburg students are the primary earners in their families, said Randolph, and they have to make a choice between working or coming to school.

Randolph knew he had to tackle the negative perception about Leesburg as he simultaneously attacked the twin issues of a low graduation rate and high levels of chronic absenteeism. What followed was a concentrated effort to shift the school’s narrative through an uplifting social media campaign that Randolph dubbed “#180daysofjoy.” Since 2017, Randolph has posted positive updates about Leesburg every weekday on the school’s official Instagram page without pause.

The online campaign documented the structural changes that Randolph and his team were making within the school to give every student a workable pathway toward graduation.

The school has built a multi-pronged model—outfitted with options for night and online school for credit recovery—to give as many options as possible to students. These efforts have contributed toward a 20 percent increase in the school’s graduation rate, as well as a 20 percent increase in enrollment over the last seven years.

To improve the graduation rates, Randolph realized he had to think differently about attendance.

“As a school, we had to accept that there are circumstances that don’t allow our students to come to school,” he said. “But that shouldn’t impact their ability to learn. We had to learn to be flexible.”

Different pathways are a mitigation strategy

In 2017, the school received funding from the Lake County district to hire a graduation resource officer, who developed a graduation tracker for every student to keep track of the credits needed to graduate. Audits happen every quarter.

The effort started with the 300 seniors; it’s now expanded to all students, right from the time they enter the high school. The tracker is also an effective way for the school to keep track of attendance issues, Randolph said.

There is a direct relationship between improved attendance and graduation rates, said Robert Balfanz, the director of the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University, whose research addresses solutions to chronic absenteeism in schools. “Students who are chronically absent either don’t know the material well enough to pass a course, or they don’t turn in the required assignments. Failing classes has a clear line to dropping out, or not graduating.”

Providing students with alternative pathways can potentially “mitigate” the impacts of chronic absenteeism on graduation rates, Balfanz said.

At Leesburg, students can go to night school or achieve required credits through online self-study. Students who work full-time often choose to go to night school, an option that the school started in 2022. Other students who choose this option might be caring for younger siblings during the day, said Randolph.

At night school, students get assistance from educators as they work on their assignments.

The school created its online study option after noticing that students who were typically absent were still able to complete their work online during the pandemic, Randolph said.

It was also a way to address the needs of students who faced disciplinary problems in school and were at risk for suspension.

Disciplinary action, Balfanz said, can contribute to absenteeism. Students are often handed multi-day suspensions, which can mean missing close to a week of school.

“Kids also know when fights are brewing [in school],” he said. “They may want to stay away from the drama.”

Randolph admitted that in his first three years as principal, he was suspending students frequently, which helped neither the morale of the school nor its graduation rates. Providing an alternative pathway to students has helped curb the suspension rate, he said.

Students who choose to study online can do so remotely, but the administration at Leesburg has incentivized them to complete their studies on campus by creating a “school within a school.”

The online school within the physical one has its own bell schedule, and students usually move between one or two classrooms that are monitored by teachers. These classrooms even have their own snack counter.

The online learning option comes with requirements, though: Students have to complete 20 assignments per day to be marked present for that day. Leesburg started this policy of “positive attendance” in 2023.

“We’ve had success with this model because students, learning through their Chromebooks, can knock out four to five credits per semester,” said Monique Griffin-Gay, an assistant principal at Leesburg and one of the key architects of the online school model.

Randolph said 170 students, or 10 percent of the total student body , chose alternative learning pathways in the 2023-24 academic year.

“In the past, we didn’t have a way to work with these [chronically absent] students,” Randolph said. “They may have dropped out or been asked to leave.”

The alternative pathways also allow older students, who may enter 9th grade at age 16, to graduate high school early.

Parents as partners

One of the key partners in Leesburg’s gradual turnaround has been parents. These parents have a history with the school—many of them attended Leesburg and carried the same negative perception that Randolph’s been trying to change.

“It was very much the school versus parents in 2017,” he said.

Bringing parents onboard to address the twin challenges of absenteeism and academics was critical.

Randolph started connecting parents to the graduation resource officer early on to figure what was holding back students from attending school or getting the required credits toward graduation. These conversations would help the administration to determine the right graduation pathway for a student.

Parents have also participated in “restorative conversations” around disciplinary issues, Randolph said, which has allowed Leesburg to bring down its days of suspension from 300 in 2017, to less than 200 last year. Disciplinary referrals, too, have gone from 3,000 to 400 during the same period. Parents have played a key role in creating a better school environment, administrators said.

This doesn’t mean that the 700-odd conversations Randolph and his team have with parents every year are easy. One such conversation revolved around assigning grade-level texts to students. Parents complained to the school that the work was too hard for students. Randolph pushed back.

“We had to educate our parents about grade-appropriate texts and assessments and tell them that students must meet these requirements to graduate,” he said. “That was a shift for some of our parents.”

A work in progress

Over the last seven years, the administration at Leesburg has worked on repairing their relationship with students, their parents, and the surrounding community. The consistent social media presence has helped, Randolph said.

The changes in the school have positively impacted teachers, too. Randolph said the school will retain 90 percent of its 88 teachers for the upcoming school year. When Randolph first came on board, he had 37 vacancies to fill.

Still, there’s more work to be done. In the 2022-23 school year, more than 45 percent of students at Leesburg performed well below grade level in math; for English/language arts, the figure was 31 percent.

And chronic absenteeism rates, despite all efforts, remain stubborn: In the 2022-23 school year, 35.5 percent of white students, 32 percent of Black students, and 24 percent of Hispanic students were considered chronically absent.

The new school year will also bring a fresh challenge. About 73 percent of next year’s high school seniors are already graduation-ready, which means they’ve taken the necessary assessments in math and reading that are required to graduate. This is a step up from the usual 40 to 50 percent of incoming seniors who’d be ready to graduate in previous years.

This has increased the pressure on Randolph and his team to make sure that these students are leaving with the skills—and credits—they need to attend college, start a career, or join the military.

“These kids are going to have a much shorter runway,” Randolph said.

Randolph’s next goal is to get to a 90 percent graduation rate, a milestone that didn’t seem possible to him the year he joined as principal. He also hopes that policies like “positive attendance” can curb the chronic absenteeism numbers for Leesburg.

“The trickiest bit of this work is to figure out what’s going to motivate students,” said Griffin-Gay. “You can put 50 options in front of them, but they don’t matter if students don’t see the point in graduating. We have to keep instilling the belief that they can do this.”

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