Volusia County Schools Scores A Rating, Flagler Stays at B

The Florida Department of Education has released its latest school grades for the 2024-25 school year. Volusia and Flagler counties were among the districts receiving new ratings, achieving A and B scores respectively. Volusia County Volusia County Schools achieved an A rating for the 2024-25 school year, as described in the Florida Department of Education’s newly-released report. The score marks the first time that Volusia has achieved an A rating for its schools since the 2008-09 school year. 28 schools in the district individually achieved an A rating, up from 17 in the 2023-24 report. 23 Volusia schools achieved a B, and 17 were given a C. No Volusia County schools earned either a D or F grade, as opposed to last year when two were given Ds. “This A is more than a measure of academic success; it is a reflection of a district and a community that chose to come together—with purpose and with heart—to ignite a passion for learning in all students,” said Volusia Superintendent Carmen Balgobin. “When our School Board, families, staff, and community partners stand together and work hard, our students and community excel.” Flagler County’s school district registered a B rating for the fourth straight school year. Its rating fell short of neighbors Volusia and St. Johns counties, both of whom scored an A, while beating Putnam County’s C rating. Flagler County All five of Flagler County’s elementary schools maintained their ratings from the 2023-24 school year, with four Bs and one A. While Indian Trails Middle School maintained its A rating from last year, Buddy Taylor Middle School dropped from a B to a C. Both Flagler Palm Coast High School and Matanzas High School maintained their B and A scores respectively, while Imagine School fell from a B to a C. iFlagler, rated for the first time since 2018-19, scored a C. The Department of Education did not issue school district scores for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years due to the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. For the four years since they resumed scoring, Flagler Schools has scored a B each time. Last year they had all schools in the district at an A or B for the first time since 2014-15. While Flagler Schools showed improvements in some of the metrics used by the state to score their school districts, the county fell two points short of the mark needed to score an A rating. 2018-19 was the last school year that Flagler Schools was an A district, and the next most recent year was 2010-11. State Outlook The rating district for county school districts’ scores is as follows: A – 64% or higher B – 57% to 63% C – 44% to 56% D – 34% to 43% F – 33% or lower 28 of Florida’s counties obtained an A rating for the 2024-25 school year. 31 counties came in at a B rating, while just 8 were given a C. Breaking scores down to their more precise metrics, the classes of the state were Nassau County (north of Duval on the Georgia border) and St. Johns County (just north of Flagler), both of which rated a 74%. Following them with 73% was Lafayette County (North Florida around the crux the of panhandle) and Walton County (western panhandle). The next highest counties after those were Collier, Indian River, Sarasota, and Miami-Dade. No districts in Florida scored a D or F. The lowest-rated district in the state was Gadsden County (mid-panhandle on the Georgia border) with 49%, followed by Jefferson, Hamilton, Okeechobee, and Madison counties. “This year’s school grades demonstrate that Florida’s focus on the future of education has paid off,” said Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. “Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Florida has implemented innovative strategies like progress monitoring and provided students with the choices they need to succeed. The 2025 school grades are a reflection of the nation-leading education reforms that Florida has implemented.”