Clearwater Schools Earn Passing Grades in 2010-11

Pinellas County Schools earned a "B" in new 2010-11 school rankings from the Florida Department of Education.

Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Manatee counties in the Tampa Bay area were all graded "B" school districts. Sarasota County received an "A." The rankings are based on points derived from FCAT scores and other factors.

Here's how individual schools in Clearwater ranked:

Elementary schools

• , 319th in the state, A
• , 644th in the state, B
• , 651st in the state, A
• Frontier Elementary, 941st in the state, A
• Life Force Arts and Technology Academy Charter School, 1,254th in the state, not graded for 2010-11
• , 1,254th in the state, B
• , 1,330th in the state, B
• , 1,419th in the state, C
• , 1,544th in the state, C
• High Point Elementary, 1,568th in the state, C
• , 1,592nd in the state, C
• , 1,708th in the state, D

Middle schools

• , 54th in the state, A
• , 358th in the state, B

High schools

• , 202nd in the state, B
• , 265th in the state, B

How would you rate your local schools?  Follow the links above to leave a review in the Clearwater Patch directory and see whether your neighbors feel the same way.

Since the 1998-99 school year, Floridians have used school grades to help assess the quality of their local schools. The school rankings, based on the points used to determine school grades, are part of the Department of Education’s ongoing effort to increase transparency by providing clear measures and metrics to help parents of school-age children, educators and taxpayers in Florida evaluate their local schools, according to the department website.

Schools are ranked according to the number of school grade points they received for the 2010-11 school year:

• For elementary and middle schools, these points are derived from FCAT scores. Schools are awarded one point for each percent of students in the school who were enrolled for the full year who score on grade level or higher on the FCAT and make annual learning gains (800 possible points).
• Florida’s high schools are graded using the FCAT and learning gains components described in the grading criteria for elementary and middle schools (800 points), plus several non-FCAT based components — including graduation rates, accelerated coursework participation and performance, and postsecondary readiness — that account for 50 percent of the high school grade (another 800 points). The total possible points for high schools is 1,600.