Largo Schools Earn Passing Grades in 2010-11

Pinellas County Schools earned a "B" in new 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 the Largo-Seminole area ranked:

Elementary schools

• Bauder Elementary, 212th in the state, A
• , 244th in the state, A
• Orange Grove Elementary, 392nd in the state, A
• Walsingham Elementary, 495th in the state, A
• Seminole Elementary, 564th in the state, A
• Fuguitt Elementary, 610th in the state, A
• Starkey Elementary, 629th in the state, A
• Southern Oak Elementary, 749th in the state, A
• Ridgecrest Elementary, 843rd in the state, B
• Oakhurst Elementary, 984th in the state, A
• Bardmoor Elementary, 1,089th in the state, A
• Mildred Helms Elementary, 1,568th in the state, C

Middle schools

• Osceola Middle, 292nd in the state, A
• Seminole Middle, 311th in the state, A
• , 458th in the state, C
• Largo Middle, 530th in the state, C

High schools

• Osceola Fundamental High, 100th in the state, B
• Seminole High, 171st in the state, B
• , 312th in the state, B

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.

How would you rate your local schools?