Carver Middle School in Leesburg climbed from a C to a B in Florida’s school grading system this year, its highest rating in 15 years. School leaders attribute this milestone to focused instruction, staff training and a shared belief in student success under Principal Kinetrai Kelley-Truitt.

“I felt it was time for Carver,” Kelley-Truitt says. “We needed this as a school and with how hard teachers and students work. I can’t even explain the feeling to show Leesburg schools are good schools and we have awesome teachers and it means a lot. It puts us in a great light and I’m proud of everyone.”

Kelley-Truitt, who became principal at the start of the 2017-2018 school year after serving as assistant principal, has more than 25 years of experience in Lake County Public Schools. She emphasized consistent Tier 1 instruction for every student and a strong intervention block as key drivers of the improvement.

“We really focused on Tier 1 instruction and supporting kids,”she says. “The intervention block is a huge part of the success, so we were consistent. We also gave teachers a high level of instruction. Our students bought in and many even earned high school credits which we were thrilled about.” 

Assistant Principal Christopher Garcia highlighted the effort required to reach the goal.

“This is a goal that we put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into,” Garcia says. “Mrs. KT offered different trainings to help the staff work to the best of their abilities. It also takes a can-do mentality not just in the teachers but all of our students, parents, staff and that thinking has really gone a long way.”

In a message to the school community, Kelley-Truitt praised the collective work saying, “Thank you to all our amazing administrators for your leadership, dedication and support. Thank you to all of our teachers for your hard work, passion and commitment. To our amazing students, thank you for putting forth your best efforts and getting the job done.”

“We believed in our students, and they believed in themselves and the results show it,” she added.

The school, which serves Leesburg and surrounding communities, has a history dating to 1876 as one of the first schools for Black students in the area. It operated as Lake County Training School beginning in 1922 and later as Carver Heights High School, which served Black students in seventh through 12th grades until desegregation changes in the late 1960s. The seventh and eighth-grade program became the foundation for what is now Carver Middle School, renamed in the 1980s.

Most recently, the Lake County School Board voted to combine Oak Park Middle School into Carver Middle School beginning in the 2027-28 school year.

Principal Kelley-Truitt’s leadership has also stressed communication, professionalism and grace in a challenging educational setting. School officials described the B grade as validation of long-term strategies centered on student engagement and academic growth.

The improvement comes as Lake County schools posted one of their strongest academic years overall, with several campuses rising a full letter grade. For Carver, the jump represents years of focused work. Looking ahead, Kelley-Truitt said the goal is not only to maintain the B but to reach an A.

“Our goal is not only to maintain but to go for an A,” she says. “The state increased points we need to get next year. We are going to push for at least a B grade and are hoping to push past it and earn an A.” 

The school has acknowledged that work remains but called the B an enormous step forward for one of Lake County’s most historic campuses.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​