Page 4 - Superintendent Annual Report 2023-24

Message from the Superintendent

Dear Chairwoman Brill, Board Members, Colleagues, and Community Stakeholders:

Guided by our commitment to educate, affirm, and inspire each student in an equity-embedded
school system, the School District of Palm Beach County experienced a year of high academic
performance and growth, expanded our student-focused culture, and supported an environment
of safety and customer service excellence. I am proud of the strides made in providing a world-class
education for our students by world-class educators. Thanks to the dedication of our employees,
known as Team Palm Beach, our schools continue to be Your Best Choice for the students in our
community.

At the close of this school year, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) released the FY24
School and District Grades. I am proud to share that the School District of Palm Beach County is
rated "A" for FY24. As we continue our commitment to high performance across all areas, some of
our most notable academic excellence and growth achievements include:
• The prestigious A-rated District by the FLDOE
• 59 schools improved at least one letter grade with Plumosa School of the Arts and K.E. Cunningham/Canal Point
Elementary School improving two letter grades
• 113 traditional District-operated schools earned an “A” or “B” (the highest in the last nine years)
• K-12 student enrollment increased by over 1,000 students
• High school graduation rate increased to 94.1%
• 56 schools designated “Schools of Excellence” by the FLDOE
• Two new schools (West Boynton MS and Dr. Joaquin Garcia HS), a modernization at Melaleuca ES, and four
groundbreakings for future growth
• Cambridge International’s Large U.S. District of the Year and Model for Equity & Excellence
• A Best Community for Music Education (8th consecutive year)
• All 28 finalists and all 7 winners for the Palm Beach County Economic Council’s William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence
in Education were School District teachers for the second year in a row.

We champion academic excellence from a student’s first day. Our innovative Transition to Kindergarten initiative provides families
with at-home activities and early learning materials to build a foundation of early literacy and mathematics skills. Kindergarten
readiness kits are provided to all incoming kindergarten students along with corresponding weekly reading and math lesson
videos. Support for academic excellence is established at the elementary schools through opportunities for enrichment and
acceleration. We have also enhanced early literacy instruction through a partnership with the University of Florida Lastinger
Institute to further train our teachers in the science of reading. Our efforts resulted in an increase in the percentage of proficient
Grade 3 students on the Florida ELA exam at a higher rate than the State.

Throughout their K-12 experience, our students have access to over 330 innovative choice and career programs to explore.
Starting in elementary school, students may choose to participate in visual, performing, or communication arts, try out a Dual-
Language program, or begin pre-IB or pre-AICE curriculum. At the middle school level, students have access to career-focused
coursework including law, medical sciences, culinary, and engineering. Accelerated coursework participation at the secondary
level has grown by 9.5% among our Black student population, 8.2% with Hispanic students, and 7.8% for White students over the
past two years. For our Class of 2024, 65% of these students participated in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate,
or Advanced International Certificate of Education coursework. Of the students taking these accelerated courses, those earning
passing scores may be eligible for a Florida Bright Futures scholarship (worth over $25,000). The innovation continues at the
high school level with a wide variety of choice and career programs including Aviation & Technology Academy, Welding Career
Dual Enrollment, Cybersecurity, and a first-in-Florida Secondary Behavioral Health Technician program. As a reflection of the
success of these programs, participating students earned a total of 9,848 Industry Certifications throughout the FY24 school year.

This year solidified our commitment to creating an environment where students are engaged and involved in their own learning
experiences. Our schools are hubs of their own unique cultures and diverse offerings of elective courses and extracurricular

4 Superintendent Annual Report 2023 - 2024