Third graders in four of six of Jacksonville’s metro area counties scored well above the rest of the state on this year’s English-language arts exam, according to test results released Wednesday by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE).
St. Johns County, where 78% of third graders scored satisfactory or above, ranks first among Florida’s 68 school districts. Other Jacksonville metro counties scored as follows:
- Baker: 68%
- Nassau: 68%
- Clay: 63%
- Duval: 48%
- Putnam: 39%
St. Johns, Baker and Nassasu counties claimed the top three spots on the statewide list.
The FDOE reported that 54% of third-grade students this year scored “satisfactory” or above on the state English-language arts exam, a 4 percentage-point decrease from 2019 when the exam was last administered.
The department, however, touted the results as evidence of the importance of keeping schools open through the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a news release accompanying the results, the department wrote that despite the decrease, “the data clearly shows that, on average, districts with higher rates of in-person instruction weathered the ‘COVID slide’ better and saw lesser declines between 2019 and 2021 than districts with higher rates of virtual instruction.”
Under an emergency order issued by the department in April, accountability measures were waived for all state exams administered to students this year.
The department said Tuesday that the exam’s results instead will “help policymakers understand the reading achievements and deficiencies of Florida’s Grade 3 students.” Results from other statewide assessments will be published no later than July 31, according to the department.
List Of All County Scores Listed From Highest To Lowest
- St. Johns: 78%
- Baker: 68%
- Nassau: 68%
- Sumter: 68%
- Sarasota: 66%
- Santa Rosa: 65%
- Seminole: 65%
- Clay: 63%
- Lafayette: 63%
- Okaloosa: 63%
- Union: 63%
- Calhoun: 62%
- Charlotte: 62%
- Jackson: 62%
- Walton: 61%
- Brevard: 60%
- Collier: 60%
- Columbia: 60%
- Indian River: 60%
- Wakulla: 60%
- Washington: 60%
- Flagler: 59%
- Monroe: 58%
- Miami-Dade: 57%
- Hernando: 57%
- Dixie: 56%
- Liberty: 56%
- Pasco: 56%
- Gilchrist: 55%
- Orange: 55%
- Citrus: 54%
- Leon: 54%
- Palm Beach: 54%
- Pinellas: 54%
- Volusia: 54%
- Alachua: 53%
- Broward: 53%
- Escambia: 53%
- Suwannee: 53%
- Bay: 52%
- Lake: 52%
- Martin: 52%
- Bradford: 51%
- Hardee: 51%
- Hillsborough: 51%
- Levy: 51%
- Okeechobee: 51%
- Gulf: 50%
- Lee: 50%
- Manatee: 49%
- Duval: 48%
- Osceola: 47%
- Polk: 47%
- St. Lucie: 47%
- Highlands: 46%
- Holmes: 46%
- Madison: 44%
- Marion: 44%
- Putnam: 39%
- Taylor: 39%
- Glades: 38%
- Hendry: 37%
- Franklin: 34%
- Hamilton: 34%
- DeSoto:32%
- Gadsden: 31%
- Jefferson: 28%
- WJCT News’s Cyd Hoskinson contributed to this story.