Indian River schools keep A grade; Martin and St. Lucie districts maintain B grades

Indian River County schools kept its A, while Martin and St. Lucie school districts maintained their grades of B, according to the 2023-2024 school grades released Wednesday by the Florida Department of Education.

Indian River was the only Treasure Coast school district to receive an A.

“I am so proud and appreciative of the work that each one of our team members has done to contribute to the outcomes," Indian River schools Superintendent David Moore said in a statement. "The outcomes are evidence of the high-quality teaching that is occurring in our classrooms across our district and the commitment by our team members to be in service of students."

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School grades are based on test scores from the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking, or FAST, which students in grades 3-10 took this year; and learning gains students show throughout the year during progress monitoring.

Because the 2022-2023 school year was the first year of the FAST, learning gains were unavailable and were excluded from the school-grade formula this year.

Two schools in Martin County — Warfield Elementary and Indiantown High schools — received D's. In Indian River County, St. Peter's Academy received a D. Dodgertown Elementary was the only Indian River district school to receive a C. In St. Lucie County, Independent Classical Academy received a D. All district-operated schools received A's and B's.

School district officials said they were pleased with the grades overall.

"We are thrilled with our school grades and progress," said St. Lucie schools Superintendent Jon Prince in a statement. "(The district) improved significantly in the core categories. For the first time in many years, we have no D or F public schools governed by the district."

"The accountability rankings achieved by our district and individual schools this year are a testament to our collective hard work and dedication," Martin County schools Superintendent Michael Maine said in a statement. "While we narrowly missed an A, the process has underscored both our strengths and areas for growth."

Individual school grades are posted on the Florida Department of Education's website .

Colleen Wixon is the education reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers and TCPalm, covering Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie school districts.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Indian River schools keep A grade; Martin and St. Lucie districts maintain B grades