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DeSantis lauds improvements in Florida school accountability ratings | Florida

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Steve Wilson | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-07-07 14:30:00


The Florida Department of Education released accountability scores showing no school districts failed. The percentage of A-rated schools rose from 38% in 2024 to 44% in 2025, while failing schools dropped by 39.3% to 71. Only 2.05% of 3,451 public schools received failing grades. High schools had 49% A ratings, middle schools 42%, and elementary schools 40%. Districts saw 28 A’s, 31 B’s, and 8 C’s. Progress monitoring reforms continue to improve performance. Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas highlighted gains in civics, with 70% of students on grade level, crediting Governor DeSantis’s policies focused on basics and student success.

(The Center Square) – The Florida Department of Education released its accountability scores for individual public schools and districts on Monday and no school district received a failing score. 

Grades for individual schools were also up, as the number of A-rated schools increased from 38% in 2024 to 44% this year and the number of failing schools decreased from 117 to 71, a decrease of 39.3%. 

It marked the third year for Florida’s progress monitoring, which continually assesses student and school performance throughout the school year rather than with one end of the year test. 

“I think the progress monitoring reform was the right reform to do,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said at an event at Oceanway Elementary School in Jacksonville, which improved from a C to an A. “I think it is providing dividends, but we all say we have more work to do.” 

Only 71 out of Florida’s 3,451 public schools (2.05%) received a failing grade (a D or an F), with 44% of them receiving an A and 27% received a B. 

There were only 49 elementary, six middle and only two high schools that received unsatisfactory scores. A scores were awarded to 49% of high schools (250), 42% of middle schools (237) and 40% of the state’s elementaries (717).

Of the state’s combined schools, 322 (55%) earned top ratings and only 14 received failing marks. 

For districts, 28 scored an A, 31 received a B and only eight received a C. 

Florida Department of Education Commissioner-designate Anastasios Kamoutsas, who replaced Manny Diaz Jr., spotlighted the improvement in civics education with 70% of Florida students on grade level in that subject. 

“Florida schools are improving across the board, and this is a direct result of the governor’s innovative policies and his mandate to school board members and superintendents across the state to bring education back to the basics and focus on student success,” Kamoutsas said. “Indoctrination, whether it’s critical race theory or sexually explicit materials, has no place in Florida schools.”

Diaz is now the interim president of the University of West Florida in Pensacola. 

The state Department of Education uses 12 components to assess individual school performance, which include achievement components, learning gains, middle school acceleration, graduation rate and college and career acceleration. 

The post DeSantis lauds improvements in Florida school accountability ratings | Florida appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Right-Leaning

The article primarily reports on Florida’s Department of Education accountability scores and highlights improvements in school ratings with factual data. However, the inclusion and framing of remarks from Governor Ron DeSantis and Commissioner-designate Anastasios Kamoutsas introduce a clear ideological perspective associated with recent Florida education policies. The language used, particularly Kamoutsas’ statements opposing “indoctrination” and terms like “critical race theory” and “sexually explicit materials,” aligns with the education policy agenda promoted by conservative and right-leaning political figures. While the article provides factual information, the selection and emphasis of quotations and policy framing suggest a right-leaning bias that implicitly supports the current administration’s educational reforms and ideological stance on school content. The coverage does not merely report on these ideological positions neutrally but appears to endorse or positively highlight them.

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Ukraine’s independence-era voices say Russia’s effort to keep control has lasted decades

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www.news4jax.com – Illia Novikov, Associated Press – 2025-08-24 00:00:00

SUMMARY: Oleksandr Donii, a leader of Ukraine’s 1990 student protests, expected a long struggle for independence, but Ukraine declared sovereignty quickly after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Despite independence, Russia maintained influence through political pressure and social division, culminating in the 2022 invasion. Early reform efforts failed to oust the Soviet-era rulers, and Ukrainian society was deeply divided. Key mistakes included surrendering Ukraine’s nuclear arsenal under Russian pressure, receiving little in return beyond the weak Budapest Memorandum security assurances. These early compromises have significantly impacted Ukraine’s ongoing fight for sovereignty, European integration, and survival against Russian aggression.

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Texas Gov. Abbott vows to approve GOP-leaning congressional voting map

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www.news4jax.com – Jim Vertuno, Joey Cappelletti And Hallie Golden, Associated Press – 2025-08-23 09:57:00

SUMMARY: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pledged to quickly sign a new GOP-favored congressional map designed to help Republicans maintain their slim House majority. The Texas Legislature approved the redistricting plan, which adds five Republican-leaning seats, amid fierce Democratic opposition and accusations of unlawfully diluting minority votes. Democrats vowed legal challenges, citing Voting Rights Act violations. This move aligns with broader national GOP efforts, encouraged by Trump, to redraw maps in states like Indiana and Missouri ahead of the 2026 midterms. Meanwhile, Democratic-controlled states like California employ independent commissions to create maps favoring their party, intensifying the partisan redistricting battle.

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Chinese bridge collapse kills at least 12 construction workers

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www.clickorlando.com – Associated Press – 2025-08-23 03:41:00

SUMMARY: An under-construction railway bridge in Qinghai Province, northwest China, collapsed early Friday, killing at least 12 workers and leaving four missing. The accident occurred during a tensioning operation when a steel cable snapped around 3 a.m. The 1.6-kilometer-long bridge, spanning the Yellow River with a deck 55 meters above the water, suffered a large section collapse, with a bent portion hanging downward. Rescue efforts involve boats, a helicopter, and robots searching for the missing workers. The incident was reported by state media and documented by aerial photos from Xinhua News Agency.

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