MAYO, Fla. — For the second straight year, the Lafayette County School District passed with flying colors.

The district, as well as Lafayette High School and Lafayette Elementary School, received an A grade in the school grades released last week by the Florida Department of Education. It marked the second consecutive A for both schools and the district.

“Once again, Lafayette District Schools have demonstrated their commitment to high academic standards and excellence in teaching and learning, and the resulting success is a clear reflection of that commitment,” Superintendent Robby Edwards said in a release.

A year ago, the district’s 754 overall score was the second highest in the state of Florida. This year, the district totaled 735 points overall. That was the fifth best score in the state, trailing St. Johns, Gilchrist, Sarasota and Nassau counties.

The grades are based on four achievement components: English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies as well as middle school acceleration, four learning gains, high school acceleration and graduation rate. Each component is worth 100 points overall.

Grades are then calculated by adding the points earned for each component and dividing the total by the amount of components completed.

LES improved its score in four of the seven components that it was graded on, staying level in mathematics learning gains and dropping just one point in ELA learning gains of the lowest 25 percent.

In improving its total score 26 points and four percent to a 68, LES showed big improvements in ELA achievement (10 points) and ELA learning gains (16 points).

“That is a great achievement for our school,” LES Principal Stephen Clark said about the school’s overall score improvement. “All personnel, Pre-K through fifth grade, are to be commended for this accomplishment.

“For the first time ever, LES earned an A two years in a row!”

LHS’ biggest improvement came in middle school acceleration, picking up 19 points. The school’s graduation rate also climbed from 88 percent to 97 percent.

Overall, LHS dropped six percentage points to a 63, but retained its A after two years of B grades.

“It is the continuous dedication and hard work by everyone involved that once again has LHS rated as an A school,” LHS Principal Stewart Hancock said.

Edwards agreed that the root to the continued success by the district and its schools is wide-ranging. He said in addition to teachers and school personnel, parents, school volunteers and the business community in Lafayette County are all to thank for the high scores.

“In celebrating this success, we realize that this is a shared accomplishment,” he said. “As all of us congratulate the students, teachers, administrators, and parents, we also appreciate the multitude of stakeholders that positively impact student success day-in-and-day-out beyond what is learned in the classroom.

“The role that everyone plays in the success of students cannot be overlooked. From the bus driver who is often the first school related adult that a student interacts with, to the custodians, cafeteria workers, teachers, teacher aides, school nurses, front office staff and the list goes on and on, they all play an important role.”