Area Schools Grade Above Average

When the Florida Department of Education released grades for high schools today, Hillsborough County found reason to celebrate.

Twenty-five of the district’s 27 schools earned A or B grades for the 2010-11 school year—a record, according to Hillsborough school district spokesman Stephen P. Hegarty.

and Tampa Bay Technical High School maintained last year’s grades, according to the department of education’s website. Brooks-DeBartolo received an A, and Tampa Bay Tech received a B.

dropped from an A last year to a B this year, according to the data.

The district as a whole had 93 percent of its high schools earn A or B grades. This is an increase from last year’s 79 percent. Five of the county’s schools—Brandon, Chamberlain, Plant City, Spoto and Steinbrenner—earned A grades for the very first time.

Statewide, 78 percent of high schools made A or B grades.

Brooks-DeBartolo’s grade has improved considerably since it opened. In 2007-08, it received a C, and in 2008-09, it received a D.

Tampa Bay Tech has maintained its B grade for the past three years. In 2007-08, it received an A.

"Obviously, we would love to be an A," said Tampa Bay Tech Principal W. Scott Brooks. "... We're still happy though that the students performed well."

King’s grade is a bit more inconsistent. It received a B in 2007-08 and a D in 2008-09.

School grades are based on a number of factors including FCAT scores, participation in accelerated courses and graduation rates.

For more information about school grades, visit the department of education online.

Temple Terrace Patch invites local school principals whom we were unable to reach before this story posted to leave a comment about their school grades below.