As Florida’s gubernatorial race begins to take shape and candidates roll out their education agendas, one issue deserves far greater public attention:
Florida’s school grading system does not provide parents with a clear and honest picture of academic performance.
A recent national Education Recovery Scorecard study conducted by researchers from Harvard and Dartmouth found that student reading achievement continues to decline across much of the nation, including significant reading declines in Florida. According to the study, student literacy recovery continues to lag nationwide.
Yet at the very same time, the Florida Department of Education’s 2025 School Grades Report shows a substantial increase in schools receiving top state grades. The DOE reports that 71% of graded schools earned an “A” or “B” rating in 2025, up from 65% the prior year.
Parents and taxpayers should be asking a simple question:
How can student reading performance be declining while school grades continue improving?
The answer lies in a grading formula that increasingly disconnects school ratings from the academic reality families believe those grades represent.
Most parents understand grades using the traditional classroom scale:
- 90–100 = A
- 80–89 = B
- 70–79 = C
- 60–69 = D
But Florida’s school grading system operates very differently.
Under Florida’s current formula:
Elementary Schools
- A = 62% or greater
- B = 54%–61%
- C = 41%–53%
- D = 32%–40%
Middle, High, and Combination Schools
- A = 64% or greater
- B = 57%–63%
- C = 44%–56%
- D = 34%–43%
In other words, a school can receive an “A” grade while earning only 62% or 64% of available points. That does not align with how grades are understood in classrooms, colleges, workplaces, or everyday life. When parents see an “A” school designation, they reasonably assume it reflects exceptional academic performance and strong student proficiency in core subjects like reading and math. Instead, the grading system has created a framework where schools can receive top ratings while statewide reading outcomes decline.
This is not merely a technical issue, it is a transparency issue. It is also a funding issue.
Florida’s school grades directly impact funding, intervention status, and access to academic support resources. Schools receiving lower grades are often eligible for additional interventions, targeted assistance, and support aimed at helping struggling students improve outcomes.
But when schools are labeled as “A” or “B” schools despite significant literacy deficiencies, the system can mask real academic struggles and reduce urgency for additional support. Teachers working with students who are behind in reading may not receive the resources, staffing, or intervention funding necessary to address those gaps because the school’s letter grade suggests strong overall performance.
In effect, inflated school grades do not just mislead parents, they can also leave struggling students without the academic support they genuinely need.
Florida Citizens Alliance has long warned that Florida’s accountability system risks prioritizing optics over honest academic measurement. A grading system should help parents clearly understand whether students are mastering fundamental skills, not obscure declining outcomes behind inflated ratings.
While growth metrics, graduation rates, and other indicators certainly matter, they should not overshadow the most important question:
Are students actually reading proficiently at grade level?
The recent Harvard-led findings suggest far too many students are not.
As candidates for governor discuss the future of education in Florida, reforming the school grading system must become part of the conversation. Parents deserve accountability measures that are transparent, understandable, and aligned with real academic achievement, not grading formulas that can mask declining literacy performance behind rising letter grades.
Florida’s students deserve more than inflated ratings and political talking points. They deserve an education system that measures success honestly.
