Two more schools ‑ Groveland Elementary and Sawgrass Bay Elementary ‑were added to Lake County Schools growing list of "A" rated schools on Friday when the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) released preliminary revisions to the initial school grades that were released earlier this month.

With the recent addition of these two schools, 18 of Lake County's schools now boast an “A” grade.

“I was thrilled to receive the recent news of our corrected school grade of an ‘A,’” said Kimberly Sneed Jarvis, Principal at Groveland Elementary. “Our students, faculty and staff worked extremely hard and deserve this honor. Our theme this past year was: We are Cruising to the Top by S.E.A.S, ‘Successfully Educating All Students.’ We accepted the challenge and made it happen. I am delighted to be the proud Principal of Groveland Elementary School.”

Dr. Julio Valle, Principal at Sawgrass Bay Elementary, added, “Our teachers, staff, students, parents and community have worked hard to continue to be a high-performing school. To be deemed as an ‘A’ school by the state validates the work we have all done and continue to do at Sawgrass Bay.This confirms that our Bobcats Grip Learning with Pride!”

In a press release from FLDOE the state department states, “During the continuous review process, the department identified preliminary revisions for both schools and districts that will result in increases. The revisions involved 213 of the initially graded 2,586 schools.” The release continued, “These changes were identified during the review process that occurs between the time initial school grades are released and final school grades are published after an appeals process has been completed. This phase of the school grading process, which involves district validation, is important because it provides transparency and helps ensure the final grades are correct.”

While 36 middle and elementary schools ‑ Lake County School District-operated and charter – received grades this month from FLDOE, seven more high school grades are yet to arrive. These grades are set to be released by FLDOE at a later date as high school marks take into account additional measures, such as graduation rates and advanced placement test scores. An exception is Lake County Schools' newest high school, Lake Minneola High School, which earned an "A.'' Since Lake Minneola High did not have a senior class in its first year andwill not have a graduation rate, the school’s grade was calculated based only on the FCAT components. In addition, Tavares Elementary did not receive a grade this month. Tavares Elementary is currently assigned an "I" rating, rather than a school grade. The "I" rating indicates that FLDOE is not able to accurately evaluate the grade for the school with the available data. When sufficient data becomes available, the regular school grade will then be calculated and assigned to Tavares Elementary.

For a complete list of District and school grades, log on to http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org.