Governor Bush and Commissioner Winn Announce 2006 School District Grades

More than one third of Florida school districts earn an "A"

Governor Bush and Commissioner Winn recently announced that a record number of Florida schools earned "A" and "B" grades in 2006. Since 1999, the number of schools earning an "A" or "B" jumped from 515 to 2,074 schools in 2006 — four times the number of high-performing schools seven years ago and 231 more than last year (up from 1,843). Three of every four Florida schools were considered high performing in 2006. Additionally, the number of failing schools is on the decline, down to a fourth of the number of failing schools in 1999.

Providing a quality education for each and every student in Florida is Governor Bush's priority and the state's most important mission. Florida continues to raise its standards for achievement to ensure students are prepared for the rigor of postsecondary education and the workforce. The A+ Plan for Education established the school grading system in 1999. Since then, standards have been raised three times and students continue to show improvement. Today, more of Florida's students than ever are reading on their own, taking college entrance exams, graduating from high school and earning college degrees.

- Posted by Valentina Mandarin of MLR Realty