GAINESVILLE – Alachua County Public Schools once again earned a B grade for the 2024–25 school year, according to newly released data from the Florida Department of Education. While the overall rating puts the district within just two percentage points of an A, a closer look reveals a patchwork of progress, plateauing, and setbacks across the county’s schools.
This marks the third consecutive B grade for the district since the state resumed issuing letter grades following the pandemic. The number of traditional (non-charter) schools earning A or B ratings increased from 19 to 22 this year—a positive sign. However, performance varied significantly across campuses, especially in western Alachua County.
Several schools posted marked improvement in 2024–25, including Santa Fe High School, which raised its grade from a C to a B. This is the school's best rating since 2014–15 and reflects progress in both academic performance and career-readiness measures.
Also earning high marks were High Springs Community School and Alachua Learning Academy, both of which maintained their long-standing A ratings. High Springs has held an A since 2014–15 after a one-year dip to a C, while Alachua Learning Academy has consistently earned an A since 2011–12.
Newberry High School held its B rating, continuing a stable streak that began in 2017–18. Nearby, Oak View Middle School also retained its B, a mark it has held since 2021–22.
Not all schools in the region improved. A.L. Mebane Middle School in Alachua maintained its C grade, which it has held for nine consecutive years since 2015–16.
In Hawthorne, Chester Shell Elementary School saw its grade fall from a C to a D. It is now one of three schools in the district designated as a School Improvement (SI) school for the 2025–26 academic year. However, Hawthorne Middle/High School retained its C rating, continuing a modest upward trend after escaping a series of D and F grades in prior years.
Beyond western Alachua County, other schools across the district showed positive momentum. Gainesville High School improved from a B to an A, while Eastside High and several elementary and middle schools also raised their letter grades.
Two former SI schools—Alachua Elementary and Rawlings Elementary—improved from a D to a C, removing them from state monitoring status.
Despite those gains, three schools—Foster, Shell, and Williams Elementary—received D grades and will be placed on the SI list.
Superintendent Dr. Kamela Patton, who joined the district in late 2024, emphasized that the district is responding to both the gains and gaps with renewed instructional focus.
“The most successful instructional strategies are driven by data,” Patton said. “By constantly reviewing student progress—from the district level to the classroom and down to the individual student—we can more effectively identify and apply strategies that will help every child succeed.”
To that end, the district has launched several initiatives, including embedding literacy specialists in every school, expanding a student-centered teaching model called Instructional Empowerment, and using new real-time data tools to guide instruction. School and district leaders now engage in frequent “Data Dialogues” to monitor student performance and share best practices.
While district leaders are encouraged by the overall direction, they acknowledge there is work to be done to move from a B to an A. The improvement in some schools and stagnation in others suggests the need for a more targeted, school-specific approach.
“We’re proud of the progress, but we’re not satisfied,” Patton said. “Every student, every school—our goal is excellence across the board.”
For families in western Alachua County, the school grade results are both reassuring and revealing: while many schools are holding strong or improving, others continue to face uphill battles. The district’s next challenge is ensuring that progress isn’t just districtwide—but district-deep
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