The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) announced the annual school ratings in August 2024, and Olympic Heights High School has regained its “A” school status. This comes after last year when the school dropped to a “B” status for the first time since 2016. With this increase in the school’s rating, OH has reclaimed its spot among the best schools in Palm Beach County. 

To some community stakeholders, the thought of OH earning an “A” status seemed unlikely. Nearly half (48.9%) of the OH student population is listed as “economically disadvantaged” by the state. This financial struggle can make it harder for students to afford tutoring and other educational resources to perform well in school. In addition to this, 28% of students at OH have been in or are currently enrolled in the school’s ESOL program.  This could be a perceived barrier to the school’s success on Florida’s FAST exam, which features questions related to poetry, literary elements, and interpreting figurative language that could be complex to someone just learning English. Yet year after year, OH continues to overcome these obstacles.

According to FLDOE’s school grade database, OH’s highest-performing test categories were the US History End of Course Exam (EOC) taken by juniors and the Biology EOC taken by mainly freshmen and sophomores, with the school earning an “A” in both categories. Additionally, our school saw a 58% increase in English learning gains and a 43% increase in math learning gains on state tests last year, which also contributed to our improved school grade.  

One of OH’s biggest achievements was retaining its 100% graduation rate, a huge help in increasing the school’s rating, as well as an important consideration for families in the area thinking about sending their children to OH.   

“We are thrilled to be an ‘A’ school again,” Principal Burke commented when asked about OH’s academic achievement.  “Last year, I am proud to say that we went up significantly in every single tested area.” In addition to the school’s test scores, Burke recognized OH’s impressive graduation rate and teaching staff. “Once again, we were able to maintain our 100% graduation rate,” Burke expressed. “Teachers worked collaboratively to not only plan, but also meet to use data to drive instruction.” As for the future, Burke says she plans on “continuing to increase our scores and high expectations for the students.” 

Most of the teaching staff at OH share Burke’s optimistic view for the school’s academic gains.  “Regaining our ‘A’ status is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and administrators,” stated Sarah Cummings, AICE Lang teacher.  In the future, “the English department will continue to focus on developing critical thinking skills, effective writing strategies, and an appreciation for literature, and continue to make learning more relevant and enjoyable,” Cummings continued.  They plan to do this by fostering a love of learning and providing OH students with the tools they need to succeed.

A similar sentiment can be found within the math department. “I think it’s a very exciting time [to be an ‘A’ school],” Alex Celis, geometry teacher, told the Torch.  Though it was a bit disappointing dropping to a “B” last year, Celis explained, “We are very excited for the future as a math department in how we can become better and help keep our ‘A’ status.”  The math department plans to “focus on the standards and give students exposure to higher level mathematical problems.”  Hopefully, this will not only increase the scores but the students’ overall understanding of math, essentially preparing them for college math.

It is clear that the school’s upgraded status has heightened morale on campus and established OH as the pride of Boca. “With the various teaching strategies we have put in place and monitoring of both data and staff, I have no doubt we will continue to increase our school grade percentage next year!” Principal Burke confidently announced.