Florida’s latest school grades just landed, and Southwest Florida has plenty to celebrate—but also a harder question to ask.
Charlotte County earned its first “A” district grade in 15 years. That’s the headline. Collier and Glades counties also pulled an “A,” while Lee and Hendry grabbed a “B.” Only DeSoto County came in lower with a “C.” On the surface, it’s all wins. Statewide, 76 percent of Florida schools earned an “A” or “B” this year, up from 71 percent last year.
For families like Heather Shaughnessy’s—who moved from Boston six years ago—those grades matter in real, tangible ways. School performance helped determine where they’d plant roots, and she’s genuinely surprised by Charlotte County’s turnaround. I’m blown away by that, because when we moved down here, they were not an A, Shaughnessy said. That kind of improvement doesn’t happen by accident.
But here’s where it gets interesting: education advocates are starting to wonder if we’re grading on a curve that’s become too generous. The Foundation for Florida’s Future raises a fair point—when more than three-quarters of schools earn top marks, does the letter grade actually tell you anything? A 10th grader from Lee County nailed the real issue: the grades don’t reflect the individual student experience. I think that, like, the reflection of the grades isn’t really of the individual students. It’s based off of like which teachers you get. She’s right. The state says grades factor in student achievement, learning gains, graduation rates, and college and career readiness. All solid metrics. But a letter doesn’t capture whether your kid got an inspiring teacher or a burned-out one—and that difference shapes everything.
So yes, celebrate Charlotte County’s milestone. But also ask yourself: what do these grades actually mean for your family’s choice? And if almost everyone’s getting an A, is that really the metric you should be trusting?
