SWFL.io - Local NewsHaley Jacobs
•7/3/2026
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, Fla. (WINK)— Florida just released its latest school grades and some local districts are celebrating big wins.
This year's results show several Southwest Florida districts moving in the right direction. Collier, Charlotte and Glades counties all earned an "A," while Lee and Hendry counties received a "B." DeSoto County earned a "C."
Charlotte County had an extra reason to celebrate, earning its first "A" district grade in 15 years.
Heather Shaughnessy, a Charlotte County mom who moved from Boston six years ago, said school grades played a big role in where her family chose to live.
"The first thing we checked was all school districts to find out where a good area was and you know what our schooling options were," Shaughnessy said.
She said the district's latest grade came as a surprise.
"I'm blown away by that, because when we moved down here, they were not an A," Shaughnessy said.
Statewide, 76 percent of Florida schools earned an "A" or "B" this year, up from 71 percent last year, according to the Department of Education.
But as more schools earn top marks, some education advocates say it may be time to raise the bar. The Foundation for Florida's Future says when more than three-quarters of schools earn an "A" or "B," it raises questions about whether the grading system accurately reflects student achievement.
A 10th grader from Lee County said a letter grade can only tell you so much about what happens inside a classroom.
"I think that, like, the reflection of the grades isn't really of the individual students," the student said. "It's based off of like which teachers you get." She added, "Obviously, students are different too, like we're really hard to teach. It's all kind of just like what bunch you get, like put with and what cards you get dealt."
The state says school grades are based on factors including student achievement, learning gains, graduation rates and college and career readiness.