Time is flying by and the first month of school has almost passed.  As a parent of one elementary and one middle school student, I have to stop and be grateful for the blessing of living in St. Johns County. 

It’s a fact that many people move here because of our highly rated schools.  With that said, St. Johns County residents couldn’t be more proud to hear that for the second year running, the Florida Department of Education has ranked us the No.1 school district in the entire state of Florida.   That is quite an honor.  It is comforting  to learn that 81% of elementary schools and 100% of middle schools in St. Johns County were rated an “A” school by the Florida Department of Education.  This compares to 44% of elementary schools in neighboring Duval County and 39% middle schools receiving an “A” grade.  Although, high school grades are still pending at this time,   it’s worth remembering that in 2008, Newsweek printed an article on the best high schools in the country with three St. Johns County schools being in the top 500: (Nease High School, 91st;  Bartram High School, 327th; and St. Augustine  High School 421st).  That is certainly something to celebrate.

You may also be interested to know that the letter grades also mean additional money for schools.  If a school  receives either an “A” rating or improves by one letter grade, the school  receives an additional $75 per student for education funding.  We all know that with the recent budget constraints, that extra “achievement” money is vitally important to each and every school.    There is a great interactive map at www.fcatmap.com that depicts the data of the overall scores for each school in addition to the reading, writing, math and science scores.

With over 30,000 students enrolled by August 30th, 2010 it is no surprise that St. Johns County has also started promoting their virtual “on line” school.  I already have heard some good reports about its programming and opportunities.  I did consider this for a short time for my middle school child and it is certainly something to look into as an alternative.  In fact my daughter’s best friend has just started it this year and she tells me she is flourishing with both structural and independent work.  Often times, she can be complete with core assignments by noon, leaving much time for personal interest development.   For my family, I felt that the socialization and confidence attained from being at school and interacting with friends, peers and teachers, was of critical importance and value.  However, it’s great to have the independent choice through the County school program.

Would it not be for the skill, dedication and determination of our wonderful St. Johns County teachers, school system administrators and employees, we would not be able to celebrate this great achievement.  Many thanks to all of you that help make our children the best they can be.