Lake County Schools is celebrating academic gains in the latest state assessment results released last week by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE). Lake students showed improvement in all tested areas: English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.

Among the most notable achievements was a 15-percentage-point increase in Algebra 1 proficiency. Also noteworthy was a 7-percentage-point increase in English Language Arts in grades 9 and 10, and an overall increase in English Language Arts of 4 percentage points. These results reflect the district’s focused efforts on learning standard by standard and student by student.

“These results are a testament to the incredible work happening in our classrooms every day,” said Superintendent Diane Kornegay. “Our educators are committed to providing engaging, high-quality instruction, and our students are rising to the challenge. The progress in civics is especially encouraging as we work to build the next generation of resilient and informed citizens.”

Students showed a 4-percentage-point increase on the Civics end-of-course exam.

The district attributes the success to several key initiatives:

• Teacher collaboration through Professional Learning Teams

• An intensive focus on grade and/or course standards that define what a student must know and be able to do to achieve mastery

• Data-driven instruction to identify and address learning gaps

A full snapshot of key highlights from the 2025 state assessment results in comparison to the 2024 assessment is shown below:

English Language Arts (2024–2025)

• Overall ELA: +4 percentage points

• Grades 3–5: +4 percentage points

• Grades 6–8: +5 percentage points

• Grades 9–10: +7 percentage points

Mathematics (2024–2025)

• Overall Mathematics: +4 percentage points

• Grades 3–5: +4 percentage points

• Grades 6–8: +2 percentage points

• Algebra 1 EOC: +15 percentage points

Science (2024–2025)

• Grade 5: +3 percentage points

• Grade 8: +2 percentage points

• Biology 1 EOC: +4 percentage points

Social Studies (2024–2025)

• Civics EOC: +4 percentage points

• U.S. History EOC: +2 percentage points

To build on this momentum, Lake County Schools is actively planning for the 2025–2026 school year. This summer, the district is:

• Hosting professional development focused on instructional strategies, curriculum alignment, and data-driven planning

• Engaging school leaders and teacher teams in collaborative planning sessions to review student data and identify essential learning standards by course and grade level

• Strengthening support for new teachers and staff through mentorship opportunities, and providing continuous education opportunities in partnership with Lake-Sumter State College and the University of Central Florida

Lake County Schools remains focused on continuous improvement and ensuring every student graduates prepared to enter college, the military, and/or the workforce through its many career and technical programs, as well as its accelerated and advanced learning opportunities.