Lee County schools hit decade-high academic gains as 24 schools earn an 'A' grade

The School District of Lee County announced its highest academic improvement in a decade, with 24 schools earning an "A" grade and no schools receiving a "D" or "F."

A total of 29 schools improved their letter grades compared to last year.

Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin credited teacher incentives for the progress.

"One of the things we put into play are teacher incentives, because when I was sworn in, we had a number of schools, particularly in our East region, that did not have teachers. We had vacancies of like 13, 17, 20 vacancies. Because of the teacher incentives we put into play, we actually had teachers that stayed," Carlin said.

In Collier County, 51 of its 52 schools earned an "A" or "B" grade. Charlotte County achieved an "A" rating for the first time in 15 years, with no failing schools. DeSoto County received the lowest grade on the Gulf Coast, earning a "C."