Ultimately, the best measure of the effectiveness of a School Board is the performance of the students. This post reports on the 2023-24 school year achievements of the Collier County School District (CCPS or the District) under the leadership of Superintendent Leslie Ricciardelli. Ricciardelli was named Interim Superintendent in December 2022 and chosen by the Board to be the District’s 20th Superintendent in May 2023. (Sparker’s Soapbox)
My last post, Catching Up with the Collier School Board, reviewed the most significant votes taken by the Collier County School Board at its 2024 Board meetings.
The post concludes with some additional news about our schools.
District Grades
For the eighth year in a row, CCPS was rated an “A”-rated school district by the Florida Department of Education. It is one of only 22 of Florida’s 67 school districts rated as “A” and the only “A”-rated district in Southwest Florida.
This achievement is especially commendable, according to CCPS, considering that:
- prior to the release of school and district grades, the Florida Board of Education adopted a more rigorous grading scale for schools (learn more here),
- this was the second year of new state FAST Assessments (learn more here and here), and
- the diversity of the district’s student population, including a high number of English Language Learners (ELL) (District profile).
CCPS’s district score ranked seventh out of the 67 school districts. Only one district larger in student population scored higher than CCPS, and no district with a comparable percentage of ELL students scored as high as CCPS.
Collier County has had an “A”-rated school district every year since 2010, with the exception of 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2016, when its rating was a “B.”
A school district’s grade is calculated as if the district’s students are enrolled in one large combination school. (See School Grades, below.) All students who are full-year-enrolled in the district are included in the district’s grade, even if that enrollment was not in the same school for the entire year.
For the detailed component scores by district by year and district grades back to 2010, see the Florida Department of Education 2023-24 District Grades Report.
School Grades
Fully 48 of CCPS’s 51 traditional public schools (94 percent) earned a school grade of “A” or “B,” according to the Florida Department of Education, and none earned a grade of “D” or “F.” Of note, eight schools improved their grades from a “B” to an “A,” and two schools improved from a “C” to a “B.” For grades for each of the district’s schools, see the attachments to this CCPS news release.
School grades provide an easily understandable way to measure a school’s performance. In 2023-24, a school’s grade may include up to twelve components. Schools are graded A, B, C, D, or F, with each grade based on the components for which it has sufficient data. Schools must test at least 95 percent of their students; CCPS tested 99 percent of its students.
For more on school grades, see the Florida Department of Education 2024 School Grades Overview.
Student Test Results
Results of the SY2023-24 end-of-year tests measuring student mastery of the state’s grade-level standards were released in July.
Florida students are tested on the state’s B.E.S.T. Learning Standards (Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking) in a series of statewide, standardized FAST Assessments (Florida Assessment of Student Thinking) in English Language Arts (ELA) Reading, Writing, and Mathematics administered three times a year.
Of note:
- CCPS students outperformed the state in 20 of 21 assessed areas.
- Most CCPS 8th graders do not take the Grade 8 Math Assessment. Instead, more than 2/3 of them are enrolled in Algebra I, earning high school credit; of those students, 88 percent (compared to 80 percent at the state) scored Level 3 or higher on the Algebra I end-of-course exams.
- CCPS student achievement ranked sixth statewide for combined Grades 3-8 Math and ranked 4th for Algebra 1.
For comparisons between CCPS and state scores on the various state assessments, read the CCPS 2024 Assessment Brief and this article. (Naples Daily News)
Graduation Rates
The CCPS Class of 2024 had a graduation rate of 91.3 percent, ranking 25th among Florida’s 67 counties. The District outperformed the state’s overall graduate rate of 89.7 percent by 1.6 percentage points. (FDOE)
Many of the students who did not graduate with their class will complete the graduation requirements, but will take longer than four years. Non-graduates include students who may have been retained because they have not completed all of their requirements and are still in school, have received Certificates of Completion, have received a GED from the State of Florida, or are continuing their education in adult education programs.
The CCPS Class of 2023 graduation rate was 91.5 percent, compared to the statewide rate of 88.0 percent, ranking 12th among the state’s 67 counties.
For more, including graduation rates by high school, click here.
Teacher Salaries
New Teachers
Under a contract agreed to in November, the starting salary for new teachers is $57,000, which was the second highest among Florida’s 67 school districts at the time.
With supplements and validated experience credit of up to 18 years, compensation for many new teachers will surpass that amount.
CCPS teacher salary increases total $24 million for SY 2024-25 and more than $50 million in the past two years.
With the updated Agreement, the average CCPS teacher salary is now $74,271. More than 90 percent of CCPS full-time teachers earn more than $60,000 annually. The salary band with the most CCPS teachers is between $70,000 and $80,000.
For more, see the CCPS Labor Relations website.
Florida vs. the Nation
In the National Education Association report for 2024, Florida ranked 50th out of 50 states and Washington, D.C., for average teacher pay.
The report states that teacher pay has failed to keep up with inflation over the past decade. While national average public school teacher salaries rose 4.2 percent for 2022-2023 and were projected to grow a further 3.2 percent in 2023-24, inflation-adjusted salaries dropped 5 percent in the past 10 years.
Autism Collier Charter School
A new public charter school is coming to CCPS. Autism Collier Charter School (ACCS) will be the only tuition-free public option in Collier County — aside from enrollment in a traditional public school — for students on the autism spectrum.
ACCS, like all charter schools in the county, will pay the District an administrative fee that partially covers the staffers who help support charters under a contract with CCPS, which the school board unanimously approved in December.
The school expects to open in August. Learn more at The Naples Press.
Employee Housing Survey
A lack of affordable workforce housing is a well-recognized problem in Southwest Florida. Over the years, it has hindered the hiring and retaining of CCPS employees. See WGCU.org and Gulfshore Business.
Thirty-five acres of vacant, undeveloped land owned by CCPS adjacent to Manatee Elementary School are considered a potential site for essential employee housing.
The district conducted an employee survey in March 2024 as part of its research into the viability of providing essential housing options. About 3,400 CCPS employees (64 percent) completed the survey, and the Board discussed the results in July.
Of note:
Where they live:
- 81 percent of respondents live in Collier County.
- 18 percent of respondents live in Lee County.
Own or Rent:
- 65 percent of respondents own.
- 25 percent of respondents rent.
- 8 percent of respondents have a stable place to live with others.
- 2 percent of respondents do not have a stable place to live.
Affordability
- 64 percent are concerned that housing costs will force them to seek employment elsewhere.
- 47 percent of respondents have a part-time job to supplement their income, specifically to cover housing costs.
For more information, see Survey Results, WGCU.org and Gulfshore Business.
I am not aware of any news or discussion of this subject since the results were presented to the Board in July.
Ricciardelli a “Superintendent to Watch”
Dr. Ricciardelli was recognized nationally as a 2024-25 Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association. This recognition honors up to 25 superintendents across the country who have fewer than five years of experience as superintendent and who demonstrate dynamic, fast-paced leadership with a strong focus on communication.
Also, in her first year as superintendent, the Sunshine State School Public Relations Association awarded Ricciardelli with the Outstanding Superintendent Communicator Award. Naples Illustrated included Dr. Ricciardelli in the 2024 Naples 100, which annually recognizes the most influential business leaders in Collier County. She was also recognized by the Southwest Florida Speakers & Trainers Association as one of the most effective communicators in the region.
That’s it for the latest. More soon!