Palm Beach County school district falls to 'B' rating but 60 schools get 'A' grades

More than 60 schools in Palm Beach County were given A grades this year even though the school district as a whole fell to a B, according to school and district grades released Monday evening by the Florida Department of Education.

The grades don't carry any negative consequences for the schools and their funding, but they reflect the struggles teachers and students are experiencing more than three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning loss, student behavioral issues and the upcoming COVID-era funding cliff have led to pressure inside and outside the classroom.

More than 40 schools fell by at least one grade this year: From an A to a B or a C to a D.

Overall, the Palm Beach County School District was downgraded this year from an A-rated school district to a B-rated district. Miami-Dade remained an A, while Broward County schools remained a B.

"Together, we will build upon our strengths, address areas for growth, and rise to the challenge with a renewed sense of purpose and unwavering dedication to student success,” Superintendent Mike Burke said in a news release Monday evening.

Despite several schools dropping letter grades, there were bright spots: Nine schools gained a letter grade and one school, Wynnebrook Elementary in West Palm Beach, improved by two letter grades.

The grades are calculated by assessing student test scores in English/language arts, math, science, and social studies, according to the department's website. Achievement is calculated based on performance on end-of-course tests, statewide tests and other exams.

Schools also may be assessed on middle school student preparedness for high school, the high school graduation rate and career/college readiness, if applicable.

This year's grades, called "informational baseline" scores by the state, do not take year-over-year improvement on state tests into account because Florida transitioned to a new testing system: The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) replaced the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) in the 2022-23 school year.

The school district as a whole earned 66% of the possible grade points this year, representing an increase of 3% from last school year. Burke said that increase was "notable" given the new state testing platform and the omission of learning gains in this year's calculations.

For the breakdown of school grades across the state, see the Florida Department of Education website.

More on the school district's grade: Florida school district grades are out for 2023. How did Palm Beach County do?

Palm Beach County school grades for 2023

A majority of Palm Beach County schools were highly rated. This year:

• 70 schools received a grade of A

• 35 schools received a B

• 65 schools were rated C

• 23 schools got a D

• Two schools got an F

Want to know how an individual Palm Beach County school performed?

Use the table below to see each school's grade this year and compare it with 2022.

A-rated elementary schools in Palm Beach County

The following elementary schools were given "A" grades this year:

• Acreage Pines Elementary

• Beacon Cove Intermediate

• Ben Gamla-Palm Beach

• Binks Forest Elementary

• Blue Lake Elementary

• Calusa Elementary

• Coral Reef Elementary

• Coral Sunset Elementary

• Crystal Lakes Elementary

• Cypress Trails Elementary

• Del Prado Elementary

• Elbridge Gale Elementary

• Equestrian Trails Elementary

• Everglades Elementary

• Frontier Elementary

• Golden Grove Elementary

• H. L. Johnson Elementary

• Hammock Pointe Elementary

• Jupiter Farms Elementary

• Limestone Creek Elementary

• Manatee Elementary

• Marsh Pointe Elementary

• Meadow Park Elementary

• Morikami Park Elementary

• Palm Beach Gardens Elementary

• Palm Beach Public

• Panther Run Elementary

• Pierce Hammock Elementary

• Royal Palm Beach Elementary

• Sandpiper Shores Elementary

• Somerset Academy Boca East

• Sunrise Park Elementary

• Sunset Palms Elementary

• Timber Trace Elementary

• Waters Edge Elementary

• Wellington Elementary

• Whispering Pines Elementary

• Wynnebrook Elementary

The following combination schools or K-8 schools also got an A:

• Addison Mizner School

• Hidden Oaks K-8

• North Grade K-8

• Palm Beach Virtual Franchise

• Renaissance Charter School at West Palm Beach

• The Conservatory School at North Palm Beach

• Verde K-8

• Western Academy Charter School

A-rated middle schools in Palm Beach County

Here are the highest performing middle schools in the 2023 school grades:

• Bak Middle School of the Arts

• Don Estridge High Tech Middle

• Eagles Landing Middle

• Emerald Cove Middle

• Independence Middle

• Loggers' Run Community Middle

• Omni Middle

• Osceola Creek Middle

• Polo Park Middle

• Somerset Academy Boca Middle

• Wellington Landings Middle

• Western Pines Community Middle

• Woodlands Middle

A-rated high schools in Palm Beach County:

Here are the high schools that got the highest grades in 2023:

• Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. School of the Arts

• Boca Raton High

• Inlet Grove High

• Jupiter High

• Park Vista High

• Somerset Academy Canyons High

• South Tech Academy

• Spanish River High

• Suncoast High

• Wellington High

• West Boca Raton High

Three high schools received "incomplete" grades this year because not enough students were tested: Palm Beach Lakes High, Glades Central and Slam Academy High School.

For the breakdown of school grades across the state, see the Florida Department of Education website.

Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work, subscribe today!

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: 2023 school grades for Palm Beach County School District released