SOUTH BAY, Fla. — Rosenwald Elementary School in the Glades increased its score from 'C' last year to an 'A' in the most recent Florida School Grades report released in July.
“We earned it,” said Rev. Al Polk, pastor of Miracle by Faith Church just two blocks away. "We were so proud of our students [and] our parents because we realized our hard work paid off."
WPTV wanted to learn more behind the rigor of the grading system used by the Florida Department of Education to measure student achievement in public schools.
Florida school grades 2025: Districts receive high marks across Palm Beach County, Treasure Coast
WPTV's Dave Bohman dug into the data of the 302 schools in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast:
- 46% earned 'A' grades
- 72% earned 'A' or 'B' grades
Nathan Hoffman, senior legislative director for the Foundation for Florida's Future, says there are too many high grades.
“Ideally, we want to see a bell curve, so that you have a certain number of schools that are at the front end of the curve — 'A' and 'B' — you have some that are trailing behind at the 'D' and 'F' range, and you have a bunch in the middle at 'C'."
Hoffman said there is no such bell curve in Florida.
In our five-county viewing area:
- 27% of public schools earned a 'C'
- Two schools earned a 'D'
- No schools scored 'F'
“Too many schools are getting 'A's' and 'B's' while we’re still leaving too many students behind when it comes to student achievement,” Hoffman said.
In some cases, letter grades and the achievement scores do not align.
At the A-rated Dodgertown Elementary School in Vero Beach, just 53% of students were proficient at their in language arts, described as reading comprehension and writing.
At A-rated Pahokee Elementary School, just 46% of students tested proficient in language arts.
At Rosenwald Elementary, just 38% showed proficiency in language arts and 69% were proficient in math, despite the school scoring an 'A'.
So, how did Rosenwald Elementary earn an 'A'?
WPTV found the scoring formula gives credit for so-called “learning gains" — when overall test scores improve from previous years — and schools get bonus points for showing improvement among the bottom 25% of students.
Rosenwald Elementary saw sharp improvements in learning gains, which helped bump its score from a 'C' to 'A'.
Erica Whitfield, a Palm Beach County School Board member, said she believes schools should get credit for improved performance.
“I do like the fact that we are not only looking at the achievement of the students but you’re also looking to see if the children that are coming in that are under grade level are moving up in their scores,” said Whitfield.
She said parents should look beyond a school's grade.
“Try not to blanket look at that letter grade,” Whitfield said. "Look at what goes on within that school community even more.”
In South Bay, Rev. Polk said the 'A' grade uplifted the community and rewarded Rosenwald’s teachers and staffers. Since 1999, the school has received one 'B' and 24 'C' and 'D' grades.
“It’s going to continue to keep them determined. It will drive them," he said. “Anyone who wants to take that away or wants to criticize these students is pitiful.”
In the future, the Florida Department of Education may make it harder for schools to keep their 'A' or 'B' grades. Under state law, the grading scale must be recalculated if more than 75% of high schools get an 'A' or 'B' grade. Statewide, 81% of all high schools passed that threshold, and locally, 88% of high schools were given an 'A' or 'B' score.
“We think that’s still too low of a bar,” said Hoffman. “If we’re having to wait until three fourths of schools are 'A' or 'B', it’s not rigorous enough.”
