Florida says 76% of schools earned an A or B and D or F schools fell from 70 to 31

Florida's Department of Education (DOE) says 76% of its schools earned an A or B in 2025-26, up from 71% in 2024-25, and that only 31 schools earned a D or F, compared with 70 the year before. The figures are in the department's July 1, 2026 release.

What DOE reports

• 76% of all schools, 2,614 schools, earned an A or B.
• 60% of all schools improved their grade or kept an A.
• 31 schools earned a D or F, down from 70.
• 78% of charter schools earned an A or B, against 76% of traditional schools. Charter schools earning an A: 61%, versus 48% for non-charter schools.
• Five districts moved from B to A and two from C to B.

Some local coverage describes the 76% as applying only to traditional schools. DOE's own wording is "all schools," and it gives a separate 76% for traditional schools, so check which group a figure refers to.

What a grade does not show

School grades combine several measures into one letter, and the release does not break out how the formula or cut points compare with last year's. It does not say how many students are reading or doing math at grade level, how subgroups fared, or how chronic absenteeism changed. A better distribution of letters is a fact; whether it reflects more learning is a separate question that the grade files and DOE's learning-gains data could answer, and which we have not analyzed. The state's statements about the causes are the Commissioner's, who credited "high expectations, expanded school choice and strong accountability"; this brief does not test that claim.

How to read it for your own school

A statewide share hides wide variation. A parent or employer weighing a neighborhood can look at the school's own grade history over several years, not only this year's letter, and at the components behind it, such as reading and math performance and learning gains, which DOE publishes on its school-grades and accountability pages. Comparing a school's grade with its neighbors is more informative than comparing it with the state average. The release also counts schools, not students, so a small school and a large one weigh the same in the percentages.

Why it matters beyond the classroom

School grades feed directly into housing decisions, and for Florida buyers they sit alongside insurance and tax costs in what a home really costs. See our briefs on Miami-area ownership costs and homeowners rate decreases. Parents can look up an individual school's grade and components on the DOE accountability pages.

Sources: Florida Department of Education, July 1, 2026. News brief based on the department's release; we did not interview educators, parents or DOE staff.