GADSDEN COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - The Florida Department of Education released school grades Wednesday for the 2017-18 school year.
Gadsden County High avoided a third straight "D" and a state-mandated takeover.
One more "D" would've taken operations away from the district.
The school improved to a "C" in its first year combining students from East and West Gadsden.
"I have to commend our entire community, because we have done in nine months what other schools within the state have three years to do," said Juliette Fisher-Jackson, Principal of Gadsden County High School.
While the district maintained an overall "C" grade for the third straight year, several schools improved their own grades.
Greensboro Elementary went from a "C" to an "A" and George W. Munroe Elementary improved from an "F" to an "A."
"My teachers are the reason we're a success, and, I mean, I'm minimal in that," said Stephen Pitts, Principal of Greensboro Elementary School.
"The best is yet to come, guys. Keep in tune. We're not a one-hit wonder," said Ronald Peterson, Principal of George W. Munroe Elementary School.
Of the district's 10 schools that earned grades, 4 received A's and 3 got B's.
Superintendent of Gadsden County Schools, Roger Milton, said he's encouraging students who've left the county to learn to take notice.
"There's wonderful things here in Gadsden, and we want to reach out and ask you to come on back and join us. You have may have had some doubts in the beginning," said Milton. "Well, now that you're seeing that things are moving, it's okay to join us."
For Fisher-Jackson, Thursday was her final day as principal. She came out of retirement to lead Gadsden County High and now, she'll retire again, knowing the district is improving.
"We are going to bring back the academic pride and the excellence in Gadsden County that we've been known for," said Fisher-Jackson.
Fisher-Jackson said even though she's retiring, she wants the high school to keep the momentum. She predicts the school will get a B next school year and says the school will get an A in the year 2020.
The district says part of this year's success came from hiring an elementary education director.
Three of the elementary schools earned A's, while the other two earned B's.
Meanwhile, a note for Leon County school grades. Frank Hartsfield Elementary School moved from a C to a D and Pineview Elementary School moved from a C to an F.
To view a full list of school grades in Florida, click here.
