FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Florida Department of Education announced the 2024 school grades on Wednesday morning. While most schools in Southwest Florida received their grades, one Lee County high school did not.
The school grades, which are similar to the A through F grades students typically receive, apply to entire schools and districts.
Watch the report here:
Out of the 199 schools graded in Southwest Florida's Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, Desoto, Glades, and Lee Counties, 32% received an A rating, 30% received a B rating, and 33% received a C rating. A notable highlight was the Sanibel School, which received an A rating for the 24th year in a row.
However, Lee County's Dunbar High School was listed as incomplete.
So we went to the school to ask the students what grade they would give their school.
Corbria Crawford, a 2021 Dunbar alumna, said, "I would give Dunbar an A because I went there recently, like 2021, and all the teachers were great. They helped me go to college, the principal was great, and I participated in basketball, so the head coach was great. Everything was great about the school."
The Crawford siblings live less than a block away from Dunbar High School and have each graduated from the school, with their brother just graduating a few months ago. Lydia Crawford, a 2006 Dunbar alumna, shared similar sentiments, saying, "I would probably give it an A, just because it has grown even more. To see that they're doing good and have more programs now is really awesome."
However, not every student had high marks for the school. Damarion Watson, a current Dunbar High School sophomore, stated, "I'll give it like a B. Most parts are good, but sometimes it can get bad too, like fights and drama."
A spokesperson from Lee County Schools explained that Dunbar High School was marked as incomplete because not enough students took the required tests. They emphasized that the grades are a tool to measure performance and have no impact on funding.
Overall, Collier County received an A rating, while Lee, Charlotte, and Glades Counties received a B. Desoto and Hendry Counties received C's.
