FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Miami-Dade and Broward County schools received top marks from the Florida Department of Education.
The Florida Department of Education announced the results Wednesday as part of its 2024 school grades, which showed an overall improvement across the state.
Broward County earned an “A” grade for the first time since 2011.
School officials gathered at a Wednesday press conference to celebrate the announcement.
“The Florida Department of Education released school grades and announced that Broward County Public Schools made the grade. We are officially an A-rated school district. Woohoo!,” said Broward County School Board Vice Chair Debbie Hixon.
“This ‘A’ rating is not just a win for our schools, but it’s also a triumph for our entire community,” said Broward County Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn.
The school district also celebrated no “D” or “F: school in the county, an achievement that hasn’t happened since 1999.
“As you can see from the smile, this is probably one of the happiest and proudest days in my time of being at Broward County Public Schools,” said Hepburn. “Together. we’ve proven through aspirations, achievement and excellence, and definitely tough times, over the years that we can do it. And we did it, and we’re going to continue to do it years after year after year after year.”
The superintendent thanked all the people who made this achievement possible for the district.
“Amazing work by our staff, amazing work by our teachers, our principals, our custodians, our bus drivers, our cafeteria workers, our clerical staff. I can go on and on and on,” he said.
He also thanked the nearly 260,000 students who attend the district’s public schools every day.
“Thanks to our students and our families. They really took charge of their kids’ education. Our students took charge of their own education,” said Hepburn.
Meanwhile, Miami-Dade secured an “A” grade for the fifth consecutive year.
“For the fifth year in a row, we are an A-rated school district,” said Miami-Dade Superintendent Dr. Jose Dotres. “What does that show us? That we have a consistent track record of excellence in our school district as a result of the incredible work of our teachers, our school leaders, our district leaders, our support staff.”
With school starting in a few weeks for both of these districts, they hope to continue the momentum and the “A” ratings next year.
Statewide, nearly 1,300 schools earned an “A” grade, a 6% increase from last year. The number of schools that received “D” or “F” grades dropped, with 81 fewer schools earning a “D” and 17 fewer receiving an “F.”
Additionally, 64 percent of all schools earned an “A” or “B” grade in 2024, compared to 57 percent in 2023.
Less than 4 percent of schools earned a “D” or “F” grade, down from 6 percent the previous year.
1,761 schools either increased their grade or maintained an “A.”
The improvement was seen across various school levels, with elementary schools increasing their “A” grades by 4 percentage points, middle schools by 7 points, and high schools by 10 points. Combination schools saw a 7-percentage point increase in “A” grades.
Florida’s charter schools also performed well, with 69% of the 602 graded charter schools receiving an “A” or “B.”
The updated school grading scale, approved by the State Board of Education, includes annual learning gains in English, Language Arts and Mathematics.
Click here for a full list of school-by-school grades.
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