Alachua County Public Schools fell short of the state as a whole in 2024-2025
BY LEN CABRERA
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – Last week, the Florida Department of Education released the academic assessment results for the 2024-2025 school year, and Alachua County Public Schools underperformed in nearly all categories, with student improvement over the course of the year in the bottom 10% of school districts.
All the data can be found at the FLDOE’s 2025 Florida Assessment of Student Thinking and B.E.S.T. Assessments page. For English Language Arts (ELA) and Math, school/county performance is measured as the percentage of students who score a 3 (“on grade level”) or above on a 5-point scale. The FAST is done three times during the year, with progress monitoring (PM) scores recorded each time. The difference between the final and initial scores (PM3 – PM1) measures the progress students made during the course of the year. Details can be found at FLDOE’s Understanding Florida Statewide Assessments Reports for Families.
2024-25 ELA Performance
For third-graders, Alachua started with only a quarter of the students scoring 3 or above in ELA. Despite being low, that figure is above the state level (24%) and puts Alachua at 14th of 67 counties. As the year progressed, however, Alachua third-graders fell behind. In the ELA PM3 assessment, Alachua only had 54% of third-grade students at a 3 or above, dropping Alachua to 45th among Florida counties. Statewide, 57% of third-graders scored a 3 or above.
The improvement from PM1 to PM3 for Alachua County third-graders was 29 percentage points (25% to 54%), tied with Duval County for 60th in the state. The top three counties for third-grade student improvement were Glades (50 points), Bradford (48 points), and Dixie (48 points). The UF Lab school (P.K. Yonge) tied Glades County for the best improvement in the state (42% to 92%).
Combining grades 3-10 for Alachua County, overall ELA performance looked about the same as the third-grade results. The district started the year ranked 15th in the state, just above the level of all Florida students (37% vs. 36%). By the end of the year, Alachua County’s rank dropped to 29th, with 55% of students at grade level, compared to 57% overall in the state. Compared to 2023-24, overall ELA student performance was slightly better (55% vs. 52%), but the ranking was worse (29 vs. 26).
The improvement in ELA performance from PM1 to PM3 for Alachua County students (grades 3-10) was only 18 percentage points (37% to 55%). Despite their state-leading improvement in third-grade performance, the UF Lab school (P.K. Yonge) tied Alachua’s 18-point improvement (37% to 55%) for students in grades 3-10. Only Hamilton, Hendry, Lee, and Polk Counties had worse progression for student performance in ELA. The best counties for student improvement were Lafayette (31), Bradford (29), and Glades (29).
Alachua County did worse than the state as a whole at every grade level (see table below). Only 10th-grade ELA performance was ranked in the top third of the state (22 of 67).
In the Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Writing assessment, Alachua County also did worse than the state as a whole for every grade level except seventh.
2024-25 Math Performance
Alachua County’s math performance for third-graders ended at the same level as ELA (55%), but the ranking was worse: 56th of 67 counties (despite starting the year ranked 14th at PM1). The improvement from PM1 to PM3 for third-graders was 47 points, compared to the state-level improvement of 55 points. That tied Alachua County with Polk County (6% to 53%) for 60th in the state.
The top counties for improvement in third-grade math performance were Dixie (82), Union (76), Glades (72), and Nassau (72). P.K. Yonge had the best improvement in the state at 85 points (8% to 93%).
Alachua County’s eighth-grade math performance was even worse, going from 13% at a level 3 or above (27th in the state) to 27% (63rd in the state). The improvement from PM1 to PM3 for eighth-graders was only 14 points, putting Alachua County 66th of 67 counties in the state (only Franklin County was worse). Alachua was one of only four counties with less than 20 points of improvement in eighth-grade math performance. Overall, the state’s eighth-graders had a 39-point improvement (18% to 57%). The best counties for eighth-grade math performance improvement over the year were Lafayette (74 points), Walton (63 points), and St. Johns (63 points). (P.K. Yonge had no data for eighth-grade math at PM3.)
Alachua County did worse than the state as a whole at every grade level except seventh.
Combining math performance for grades 3-8 (not including Algebra or Geometry end-of-course assessments), Alachua County started the year at 15% at grade level (9th in the state) and finished at 59% (51st in the state). The improvement from PM1 to PM3 was 34 percentage points, compared to 44 points for the state as a whole. Alachua County’s improvement is tied with Gadsden County for 64th in the state; only Madison and Hendry Counties were worse.
The top counties for improved math performance for grades 3-8 were Lafayette (62), Nassau (61), and Union (58). P.K. Yonge had a 46-point improvement (44% to 90%).
Including Algebra and Geometry EOCs (end-of-course assessments) with the math PM3 assessment improves Alachua County’s ranking relative to the rest of the state, but the district still lags the state average. For 2024-2025, 54% of Alachua County students scored a 3 or better, compared to 58% statewide. That puts Alachua County 38th in the state (compared to 64th without EOC scores).
Click here to see how individual schools in Alachua County performed.
An incompetent Democrat school board, hired by incompetent Democrat voters, implementing incompetent Democrat policies like not punishing disruptive students, not expelling violent students, and believing all children have the same ability to learn, has caused this issue. Unfortunately many of our teachers vote in the same manner, so when I see their alleged woes written here, I have a hard time finding sympathy.
Get your kids out of public schools if you truly want them to succeed. Giving them more money isn’t going to fix this issue. Problem students need to be removed from the learning environment, and incompetent teachers and their administrators need to be fired.
Alachua County schools used to be the best in the state. This was a district people used to want to work.
Not anymore.
Yet other districts are doing fine. Hmm…..
The whole board is morally corrupt and spiritually bankrupt. Every person that is responsible for the school board going downhill, keep on getting promoted. The people that cover up mold asbestos in financial misgivings.Have gotten big promotions and raises the past five years, both in an administration, food, service facilities and transportation.
Like you care. You just want your freeload and you want to outwardly hate everyone not a bigot racist. I can not wait til your entire generation is gone, you do nothing but reverse everything your parents fought for. Actually dragging us back into the stone age because you’re so unwilling to accept facts and not be a disgusting loser.
A very pointed personal attack that fails to even mention the problem being discussed, no less offer a solution. Not helpful.
And your kids will not learn to take no for an answer, like your rapist king. I bet you are shamed to the point of outcast, you deserve that.
Is it possible for you to stay on topic of this post? I hope you’re no where near children.
Does your sponsor know you are drinking again?
1. What “freeload” are talking about?
2. What on earth does “you want to outwardly hat everyone not a bigot racist mean?
3. Speaking of freeloaders, who do you think is paying the taxes that support the many young people getting welfare?
4.From where do you infer racism? Please quote it to me.
I do not negotiate with terrorists or have battles of wits with unarmed FASCISTS. You people are not even human to me, just sheep. I won’t quote a thing but your fake king stole $396 MILLION DOLLARS FROM FLORIDA SCHOOLS SO STEELY DANS KID CAN WORK AT WAWA
Oh, No, you forgot to mention the Newberry Birchers in your latest rant. You are so transparent
You need help.
‘Not even human’….1944 much?
I do not agree with you. And before you get super defensive and start saying “that’s because you’re a Democrat” and start trying to insult me, for disagreeing with you (Which I thought Republicans hated by the way?) I want to clarify, that I do not think the school board, it’s members, etc. are without need for change and improvement, I do. But I think that being able to have conversation, reason, solutions, and encouragement are what build a community and empower it, rather than just using the word “incompetent” as many times as you can in one sentence to further divide the county. What I do not agree with is you letting your emotions override your ability to express yourself logically, and rationally. I invite you to actually explain where you think the root of the problem is? Not the the party, but the actual policies in place that you think are detrimental to the schools. Who suggested them? Could they be improved or not? Why not? Can we not just have a conversation and try to be projective anymore?
This is a case when it’s probably better to go ahead and throw the baby out with the bath water, in terms of the School Board members. Not only are they incompetent, they are a complete embarrassment. From color-coordinated, masked Rockwell to crypt-keeper Certain, they have no value whatsoever.
Okay, and that is fair. But in that case, do we have alternatives? Who is willing to start advocating for the best interest of kids, parents, and teachers while working simultaneously for the school board? I am tired of just complaining, or reading people’s complaints into the abyss of Alachua Chronicle. Why aren’t we coming together and actually making changes, voting in new schoolboard members, changing policies, etc. if we are so unhappy? I am tired of reading comments when we live in a democracy and have the ability to do something about it. The mindset of “this sucks” has to be adjusted in this county into “this sucks, what can we do to make it not suck anymore?” And before you ask, yes I do attend the meetings myself, and I do ask questions and look for resources but its the few against the many. We need more people to care enough to do something. Or we can all sit here and wait for article after article to come out and add another useless comment.
I agree it’s hard when no younger people have any reasons to want to live here, in the land of sign-waving, rebel-without-a-clue, aging femi-leftists. We need candidates for mayor, to run against Eastman, and others, too.
I’m not interested in being a part of a “community”. I have no desire to interact with or support “community organizers” – which is essentially what our school board is.
I just want children to go to school to learn STEM subjects, so they are competitive in an ever-changing world.
LOL this guy raises the next school shooter but kids need STEM schooling, right fascist? You mean the whyte kids only right?
When was the last time you changed the batteries in your smoke detector?
In my experience usually those that bring up race are the ones who are racist…
I am I hate white people. I pass as white. I think you probably hate all people not white, its the vibe here.
Stop with your racism.
You live here and can’t see what the problem is? You’re quite the contrarian for being a Dr.
I did not say I did not hold my own interpretations of the problem, I do. No body asked for mine. But rather, I just asked for others to expand on theirs. Preferably without the sarcasm because it does add any value to the conversation. We have a right to say it however we’d like, but that is also why I can disagree with the method. And conversation, leads to changes. I think we have an opportunity to make ACPS better instead of being lazy and complaining about it. I don’t see the need to bring insults or political affiliations into it, because I don’t find it necessary in order to agree and disagree on problems our county is facing.
The person I originally responded to was “Jumanji” and “Dr. Bravestone” is a character in that movie. I apologize for the confusion.
Sure, I’ll happily expound further.
Back around 25 years ago (in the GW Bush era at that), the “No Child Left Behind” idiocy came into play. Rather than letting bad students fail, the pipe dream of everyone being capable of succeeding was fostered.
Fast forward to today, where ideas of equality of educational opportunity are now shunned, and equity of outcomes is now favored. School boards across the western hemisphere, particularly those in the US, began catering to the lowest performing students, and began idiotic ideas like removing gifted programs, AP classes, and the like, while putting exceptionally intelligent students alongside those with IQ’s that would been in ESE classes 20 years ago. Ideas like allowing AAVE instead of the proper usage of the English language were instituted, and grading standards were lowered to allow students who didn’t even attend classes to pass.
You cannot properly educate a student with a 110+ (or even a 100+) IQ alongside those who are functionally illiterate and unable to perform basic mathematics. This is why even places like Harvard are now hosting remedial math classes for incoming students who frankly have no place in an Ivy League university.
Alongside those who are simply less intelligent, there are those who are also exceptionally violent and disruptive. In olden days these students would have been suspended, expelled, and/or arrested, but in today’s world they are left alongside their otherwise non-disruptive peers for fear of placing them in the “School to Prison Pipeline.”
Teachers unions and public educators are amongst the most left leaning voters in this country, and their policy making has created the aforementioned issues. “Equity” as it’s used today is a Democrat cope to hide the fact that not all are created equal intelligence or skill wise.
Modern educational employees would rather all students get a diploma and a C than have some students get A’s and others flunk out.
Not everyone is cut out for a high school diploma, much less a university education, and acting like they are simply lowers the bar for all and lessens the value of those degrees.
Thank you for a thorough examination of the statistics. With these unimpressive results it will be interesting to see what grade the country receives overall.
Len, will the State be releasing similar data for local charter schools?
The charter schools are included in the county data since they are public schools. You can see the individual school data on the link in the article. Charters outperform district schools, so the charters bring the grades up.
The Einstein School doesn’t appear to have many Einsteins attending.
There is a reason many of us took up part-time jobs to pay for a private education for our children.
You get once chance to give them everything. You must be involved at home and the school.
I will never regret the choices we made…to work 60 or 70 hours a week to give them a chance.
There’s a supposed accountant currently taking up space on the SBAC who has implied she’s good with statistical analysis. Another who claims to have a vast knowledge of educational standards and staffing. Add to those two a Rock, who well, shouldn’t be chairing an organization tasked with overseeing education in the district when she had neither the knowledge or experience to do so.
Yet here we are. She should Certainly be able to conclude she, her cohorts, and her handpicked superintendents have failed the district in spite of their redistribution of funding from Westside schools to Eastside schools.
If the voters never learn, how and why should we expect our children to?
If the parents and taxpayers truly knew the extent of the corruption around here, they would be sickened. How the board and superintendent waste copious amounts of money It needs to be investigated.
They will probably blame the bad results on “kids are just getting dumber”…prolly the results of those C19 shots.
Schools aren’t supposed to be publicly funded daycare. Yet that’s what they are these days.
Kids whose Parents help them and take an active interest in their education succeed – and usually have a successful, rewarding life.
Those that don’t fail – and are the ones on welfare – and complain decade after decade about disparities. Period.
We ain’t no good because we ain’t putting no money in the chuckle cheese chestnut football extravaganza at citizens field so that the peeps can hang out instead of causing havoc at McPherson park and Hawthorne and lake butler, etc, etc, et and infinitum. Get real.
School board of clowns elected by clowns. Clowns administered by clowns teaching clowns.
How do private schools do in comparison to public schools?
I can only speak to the one I had a child involved with.
They regularly exceed standards.
It has a lot to do with how involved you are with your child’s education.
Private schools don’t take the state tests.
Depends: If the school is taking voucher money then they likely have to do some level of state testing or pick from a national standardized group of tests.
P.K. stats were great. Now check that out!
Hello, does the reference “public schools” also include Charter schools, or not?
If not, then it’s understandable for the performance. I but if Charter schools are included, then SBAC has a serious problem.
If you click on the link to the school results, you’ll see charter schools listed. You will also see that most of them performed better than the district average. Some have student populations that are highly at-risk, with years of poor school attendance and discipline problems; those don’t do as well.
“Alachua County Public Schools fell short of the state as a whole in 2024-2025”
I’m sure if we just paid more taxes this will improve so half the students can actually count and read before they graduate (or become incarcerated).
Given the high variability in the numbers from period to period, one questions the validity of the data.
What is the methodology used in Florida’s “progress monitoring assessment” which the Governor is selling – along with how great everything is here. Apparently not everyone thinks it is testing accurately.
“Federal assessments show reading and math performance drop in Florida, nation
February 10, 2025
Florida middle schoolers’ math and reading scores continue a decline that preceded the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Department of Education data released in January show. The data are not a fluke, as Education Commissioner Manny Diaz suggests, according to test administrators.
Reading scores among eighth graders dropped in the last four iterations of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) by the U.S. Department of Education in 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2024.
Math scores among eighth graders dropped in the last three iterations in 2019, 2022, and 2024.
Eighth graders ranked in the bottom 10 states in reading and math scores, posting their lowest scores since 1998 and 1996, respectively….”
https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/02/10/federal-assessments-show-reading-and-math-performance-drop-in-florida-nation/
I’m not reading all of this.
LORD JESUS Please allow all the children to be surrounded and protected by the Blood of JESUS and continually give them all the strength and wisdom to excel in everything that they do and set out to do in their everyday life. For I believe in them all to stay focused and be successful with your Guidance and Holy Spirit upon them by Faith everyday 🙏 in the Mighty Name of JESUS I Pray and Claim the wisdom and focus for each child no matter what their age and I Pray for the Teachers that teaches them and have the passion to succeed and continually be successful with them in the Mighty Name of JESUS I Pray for all Schools Staff and All Schools Children no matter their ages Amen, Amen and Amen 🙏❤️💪.
They all got this Amen
As a retired teacher and an UF graduate, I can honestly say I got my true education after I graduated. During my internship, the veteran teacher who I idolized, told me to forget everything I learned at UF. She told me what teaching was really like and she was 100% correct. Universities are graduating numerous students who are clueless when they enter the “actual” classroom, not the “ideal” classroom. Until colleges change the approach to education, not too many quality educators will emerge.
Does it really matter when a majority of teachers, especially in the lowest-performing schools, are alt-cert and did not graduate from a teacher prep program? You are right though. For graduates of teacher prep programs, our education is largely unused.
I graduated from FAU and my program mostly trained me to create fun, engaging, creative, standards-based lesson plans. Come to teach in Alachua County only to be told, “You can’t do that. That’s not allowed. Just teach the curriculum, it’s state-approved. Stick to the script.” One AP even told me, during a post-observation, “You’re over-teaching.” Teachable moments be damned. I guess they prefer a robot standing in front of children.
Florida has a math problem. It’s time to stop ignoring it. Florida has been putting an emphasis on reading for far too long and it shows. PM1 percentages for 3rd grade are mostly in the single digits, ALL below 20% even in lab schools. This tells the story of what is happening in primary classrooms in Florida. Teachers spend most of the instructional time in a day teaching reading and phonics. Teachers receive only reading and phonics professional development training. This emphasis on reading in the primary grades has done little to raise reading achievement but has certainly done a lot to lower math and science achievement as well as lower student confidence and engagement. It’s time to stop putting all our eggs in one basket and teach these kids how to count the darn eggs.