The Florida Department of Education released school grades for the 2023-24 school year on July 24, assigning a B grade for Pasco County Schools. Pasco has maintained a B rating since 2017.
Superintendent Kurt Browning said in a release, “We are incredibly proud of our students, teachers, and staff for their hard work and dedication. These grades show that we are on the right track, and our efforts are paying off.”
All of Wesley Chapel’s schools earned an “A,” “B” or “C” letter grade, along with 85 percent of schools throughout the county.
While the vast majority of Wesley Chapel schools maintained the same grade as last year (14 of the 18 schools stayed the same from 2023), only one improved by a letter grade — Pinecrest Academy K-8 school, which improved to an A from last year’s B, while three dropped a letter grade, with Quail Hollow and Veterans elementary schools moving from a B to a C, and Sand Pine moving from an A to a B.
In a letter to Sand Pine families, principal Angie Shauger explained the disappointing change. “We missed the A grade by just one point, scoring 61 when the cut score for an A was 62,” she wrote. “While this news is disappointing, it is important to recognize the hard work and dedication that our staff and students have shown throughout the year.”
She said she’s “very proud of all the progress we have made and the commitment everyone has shown” and is optimistic that Sand Pine will earn an A again next school year.
Five schools maintained their A status, including Seven Oaks Elementary, Union Park Charter Academy, John Long Middle School, Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, and Wiregrass Ranch High School. While Kirkland Ranch has earned an A both school years since opening in 2022, Wiregrass Ranch’s history of A ratings goes back to 2018.
Principal Robyn White says it’s a team effort that creates such consistent excellent performance. “The teachers work really hard and the kids are very motivated to do well,” she says. “They take what the teachers are providing them and make use of that.”
She says the grade is maintained by encouraging success across the board, not in just one area, but in English, math, social studies, science and more. One area of measurement is the school’s graduation rate, which was an impressive 97 percent for 2022-23, the year that was evaluated for this year’s school grade.
White says that her goal has always been to get a 100-percent graduation rate. She plans to retire from Wiregrass Ranch at the end of the 2024-25 school year, so she has one last chance to hit that mark.
“We look at each individual student and do what’s best for kids,” she says. “I firmly believe that’s why we’re an A school.”
For more information about school grades, visit FLDOE.org/accountability/accountability-reporting/school-grades/.
