- December 13, 2025
School grades statewide have plummeted this year, a trend that reflects higher standards during the switch to Common Core standards, school officials say.
“I do think we need to prepare ourselves to see a drop in performance, because we are asking our students to perform at a very different level, which is a much higher, more rigorous level," said Tony Bennett, Florida Education Commissioner, earlier this month.
In Flagler County, all schools but three dropped one letter grade as reported in preliminary scores announced last week. The three whose scores did not drop were Wadsworth Elementary School, Belle Terre Elementary School and Indian Trails Middle School.
The rest of the schools dropped one letter grade from where they were in 2012. Bunnell and Rymfire elementary schools dropped from A’s to B’s, and would have instead dropped to C’s if they had not benefited from a safety net provision that prevents school grades from dropping more than one letter grade over a year, a measure enacted to help schools as testing standards get stricter.
The Flagler County School District received a B grade, the same as it did last year.
Statewide, the number of A schools dropped from 48% to 29%, while the number of F schools increased from 2% to 4%.
School officials say these grades do not reflect poorer student performance, however.
“Florida’s teachers and educators are the nation’s best and they have consistently improved the results of students in preparing them for a brighter future in college and careers,” said Gov. Rick Scott in a statement. “By maintaining stability and higher standards as we transition to Common Core State Standards, we are sending a clear signal that Florida’s students will be prepared for success in college and careers.”
Instead, schools were more strictly analyzed as they were graded. For example, this year, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test 2.0 writing standard used in school grade calculation was changed to 3.5, up from 3.0 last year.
In addition, schools must show that their lowest-performing students are making progress in both reading and math. Schools that have fewer than 25% of their students scoring at grade level or higher in reading receive a one-letter reduction in their grade.
Those changes, as well as some others, were approved by the State Board of Education in 2012, but were scheduled to take effect in 2013.
During the 2012-2013 school year, student scores on the FCAT generally improved or held flat.
Common Core Standards are meant to provide clear outlines of students’ expected learning. Schools statewide are expected to finish their transition to these standards by the 2014-2015 school year.
| School | Preliminary Grade 2013 | Grade 2012 | Grade 2011 | Grade 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUDDY TAYLOR MIDDLE SCHOOL | C | B | A | A |
| BUNNELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | B | A | B | B |
| RYMFIRE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | B | A | A | C |
| IMAGINE SCHOOL AT TOWN CENTER | B | A | C | A |
| PALM HARBOR ACADEMY | N/A | F | N/A | N/A |
| MATANZAS HIGH SCHOOL | Pending | A | B | B |
| FLAGLER-PALM COAST HIGH SCHOOL | Pending | B | B | B |
| LEWIS E. WADSWORTH ELEMENTARY | A | A | A | B |
| OLD KINGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | B | A | A | B |
| BELLE TERRE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | A | A | A | A |
| INDIAN TRAILS MIDDLE SCHOOL | A | A | A | A |
| PHOENIX ACADEMY | C | N/A | N/A | N/A |
