Students and faculty at Destin Elementary and Destin Middle School were honored Oct. 28 as two of the most consistently high-performing public schools in Florida.
Senate President Don Gaetz (R-Niceville) presented formal commendations from the State of Florida in recognition of Destin Elementary’s 13th consecutive year as an A-ranked school and Destin Middle’s 15th consecutive year earning the state’s highest academic ranking.
“Of the 4,200 public schools in our state, less than one percent have matched the year-after-year scholastic achievements of our two Destin schools,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fort Walton Beach). “These extraordinary results mean Destin Elementary and Destin Middle are the best of the best of the best. We want to let every student, teacher and parent know that their insistence on high standards and commitment to effective teaching is recognized and rewarded by the State.”
Each year, public school students in Florida are tested for their proficiency in reading, writing, math and science. Those scores, together with other academic criteria, are used to calculate school grades from A to F. While the Okaloosa School District’s overall percentage of A schools has declined in recent years, the two Destin schools have continued to score in the top tier state-wide.
Aside from a formal recognition from the Legislature, the two schools are also in line for cash awards. Destin Elementary receives $80,825 and the middle school gets $64,286 from a special legislative appropriation.
Over the last 15 years, the two Destin schools have earned a total of $2,026,423 in performance bonuses from the Legislature. The two schools’ advisory councils decide how bonus funds are spent.