Florida Keys Schools-Education Bookmark and Share

See article at the bottom showing Monroe was at the top of the list
with a 3.92 GPA; the second-highest, Brevard County, had a 3.87 GPA.

Monroe County is totally dedicated to good education. The school district
offers a first class educational system to all its residents. With over
1500 employees
To see the Monroe County mission statement and for more particulars go
to http://www.monroe.k12.fl.us/
Schools listing
• ASD 275828-Public Big Pine Key Neighborhood School Big Pine Key Monroe
33043
• ASD 9902- Public Coral Shores High School Tavernier Monroe 3307o
• ASD 144250 Public Gerald Adams Elementary School Key West Monroe 33040
• ASD 144249 Public Glynn Archer Elementary School Key West Monroe 33040
• ASD 123786 Private Grace Lutheran School Key West Monroe 33040
• ASD 39184 Public Horace O'Bryant Middle School Key West Monroe 33040
• ASD 123787 Private Island Christian School Islamorada Monroe 33036
• ASD 9972 Public Key Largo School Key Largo Monroe 33037
• ASD 9981 Public Key West High School Key West Monroe 33040
• ASD 123788 Private Little Lambs Preschool & Childcare Key West
Monroe 33040
• ASD 44232 Public Marathon Junior Senior High School Marathon Monroe
33050
• ASD 9983 Catholic Mary Immaculate Star Of The Sea School Key West Monroe
33040
• ASD 144254 Public Plantation Key School Tavernier Monroe 33070
• ASD 9982 Public Poinciana Elementary School Key West Monroe 33040
• ASD 140995 Public Sigsbee Elementary School Key West Monroe
• 33040 144253 Public Stanley Switlick Elementary School Marathon Monroe
33050
• ASD 144251 Public Sugarloaf Elementary Middle School Summerland Key
Monroe 33042

Private schools
• ACADEMY AT OCEAN REEF, 2 Dockside Lane N, Key Largo, 305-367-2409
• ISLAND CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, MM 83.2, Islamorada, 305-664-2781
• ISLAND CHRISTIAN SCHOOL-SOUTH, 14 125th St., Gulf, Marathon, 305-743-2200
• MARATHON LUTHERAN SCHOOL, 325 122nd St., Gulf, Marathon, 305-289-0700
• MARY IMMACULATE STAR OF THE SEA SCHOOL, 700 Truman, Key West, 305-294-1031
Pre schools and kindergarten
• ABC DAY SCHOOL, 6630 65th St. Ocean, Marathon, 305-743-3521
• COMMUNITY COOPERATIVE PRESCHOOL, 550 122nd St., Marathon, 303-743-3517
• EASTER SEALS FLORIDA, 5220 W. Junior College Rd., Key West, 305-294-1089
• FREDERICK DOUGLASS CHILD CARE CENTER, 103 Olivia, Key West, 305-294-3934
• GRACE LUTHERAN SCHOOL, 2713 Flagler Ave., Key West, 305-296-6262
• GROUPER LANE PRESCHOOL, 735 Grouper Lane, Key Largo, 305-852-9520
• HAPPY APPLE PRESCHOOL, 12350 O/S Hwy., Marathon, 305-743-9020
• ISLAND CHRISTIAN SCHOOL-SOUTH, 14 125th St., Gulf, Marathon, 305-743-2200
• ISLAND PRE-SCHOOL, 5 Transylvania Ave., Key Largo, 305-451-1181
• KEYS ACADEMY AT ST. JUSTIN, MM 105.5, Key Largo, 305-451-6415
• KEY WEST PRESCHOOL CO-OP, 2610 Flagler Ave., Key West, 305-296-4749
• KREATIVE KIDS CHRISTIAN ACADEMY, 4711 O/S Hwy., Marathon, 305-743-7165
• LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY, 5580 MacDonald Ave., Key West, 305-292-5582
• LITTLE BEARS PRE-SCHOOL & DAYCARE, MM.100.4, Key Largo, 305-451-0755
• LITTLE SEAHORSE ACADEMY, MM.104.9, Key Largo, 305-451-6045
• MONROE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, 241 Trumbo Rd., Key West, 305-293-1400
• MONTESSORI IN KEY LARGO, MM. 99.5, Key Largo, 305-453-3939
• MONTESSORI ISLAND SCHOOL, MM 92.3 Oceanside, Tavernier, 305-852-3438
• ST JAMES CHILDREN'S CENTER, MM 87.5, Plantation Key, 305-852-2161
• TEMPLE CHRISTIAN PRE-SCHOOL, 5727 2nd Ave., Stock Island, Key West,
305-294-2775
• VINEYARD EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING CENTER, County Rd., Big Pine Key,
305-872-3404
• WESLEY HOUSE CHILD CARE CENTER, 1100 Varela, Key West, 305-296-5231
Universities and colleges
• FLORIDA KEYS COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Upper Keys, Tavernier, 305-852-8007
• FLORIDA KEYS COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Middle Keys, Marathon, 305-743-2133
• FLORIDA KEYS COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Main Office, Key West, 305-296-9081
• GOSHEN COLLEGE MARINE BIOLOGY LABORATORY, Layton Dr, Layton, 305-664-5454
• NATIONAL UNDERSEA RESEARCH CENTER, 515 Caribbean Dr, Key Largo, 305-451-0233
• SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY, 718 Boca Chica Naval Air Station, Key West, 305-293-284
Junior/Community Colleges:
• Florida Keys community College and Adult education

Monroe tops in its class
Board: Schools should exceed state standards
BY JOHN L. GUERRA Citizen Staff

Monroe County schools this year collectively earned the highest grade
point average in the state, besting more than 65 other school districts,
Schools Superintendent Randy Acevedo said. Educators, however, think
it's time to compare county student achievement with other scores nationally.

Monroe was at the top of the list with a 3.92 GPA; the second-highest,
Brevard County, had a 3.87 GPA.
Monroe's score shows that of the 13 schools rated, 12 received an "A" rating.
Key West High School received a "B." Three schools — Coral
Shores High School, Horace O'Bryant Middle School and Marathon High School
— improved one letter grade.

"When you look at the grades in a GPA format, we had the best performance
statewide this past year," Acevedo said. "I am very proud of
our staff, students, parents and community — it takes a team and a village."

It's the latest indication that county schoolchildren are performing
well on standardized tests and improving scores; recent Florida Comprehensive
Assessment Test (FCAT) results reflected higher scores in reading, writing,
math and science. Third-graders, for instance, showed increases as high
as 32 points at some schools in reading and math; 81 percent of the county's
third-graders were reading at or above grade level. Upper grades also
showed increases in test scores, with some schools showing more improvement
than others.

The high scores have renewed calls by School Board members to take students
to the next step by comparing Monroe County scores nationally, not just
in-state.

"We have had discussions at the board table that these Florida
standards are not stringent enough," member Debra Walker said, "and
that we should compare our progress to national and international standards.
Now we are free to set new goals based on even tougher criteria."

The scores in the Florida school report card program and FCAT results
often clash with the federal government's annual yearly progress measurement
under No Child Left Behind. That is the level of improvement each schoolchild
is expected to reach year to year in reading, math and other subjects.

Though Florida may rate schools as "A" performers, the federal
Education Department designates those same schools as "F" performers
for failing to reach annual yearly progress under No Child Left Behind.
In 2006, 712 schools that Florida considered "A" performers
were listed as "F" schools.

Though Standard & Poor's education analysts rate Monroe students'
reading proficiency in 2008 at 62.5 percent and writing proficiency at
67.7 percent, the county still isn't meeting annual yearly progress targets
under federal No Child Left Behind requirements, S&P reports.

As in other states, Florida has a student testing regime — FCAT — that's
similar to the one mandated by No Child Left Behind. Under the federal
program, "F"-rated schools that don't improve over several
years can be closed or turned into charter schools or put under a state's
direct control.

The FCAT testing regime launched under former Gov. Jeb Bush in 2002
in effect puts Florida schools out of the federal government's reach.
FCAT also is a better measure of Florida student success, the former
governor has said.

Still, Monroe's "A" school ratings are nothing to sneeze at,
said School Board member John Dick.

"It is great news for our schools and district," Dick said. "It
is a job well-done by all the personnel involved, and of course, our
students."

Being at the top of the state school GPA scorecard gives the county
some financial rewards, Dick said.

"The state has what is called school recognition funds, and "A"-rated
schools receive $85 per student as a bonus," he said. "Schools
have discretion with how they use the money, but [most schools] use it
to give staff members a bonus."

jguerra@keysnews.com