Editorial: Excellent showing, St. Johns Schools
Staff
Publication Date: 06/19/09
.f you run into Joe Joyner, St. Johns County superintendent of schools, don't be surprised if he greets you with, "No. 1 in the state."
There's no exaggeration there. And certainly considering the stress the district has had with state funding cuts, we'll allow Joyner, the School Board and the staff some leeway for bragging rights.
After all the scores were evaluated by the state and points awarded, the St. Johns County School District is not only an A district again, it is the state's No. 1 A district.
You heard that right: No. 1 A district in the state.
And if that is not enough to make you excited about the county's public schools, this is the eighth year St. Johns has received a district letter grade of A, one of only 10 statewide to make A's for eight consecutive years.
It's rare air when you get to the top of the A list. "It's just great news," Joyner said Thursday.
School districts, as well as schools and students, are graded by the state of Florida. All those scores add up to the district grade. This year, St. Johns had 589 points against a state average district point count of 524.
When individual school grades came out Thursday, 27 schools had As, four had Bs, one had a D and one had an F. Last year, the county had fewer schools but 22 had As and five had Bs.
Three of the county's high schools, Bartram Trail, Creekside and St. Augustine earned A grades. Nease and Ponte Vedra high schools got Bs and Pedro Menendez dropped from a B to a D. St. Johns Technical High School, an alternative school, got an F on its first go round for grading.
Joyner and staff are already on top of the problems with new strategies to improve academic achievement next year.
Overall, St. Johns County public schools had a stellar year.
No. 1 district in the state. How do you top that?
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