Schools in Pensacola
Escambia County Public Schools earned an overall 'A' grade from the Florida Department of Education for 2025-26 -- a genuine, sourced improvement from the district's 'B' grade the prior year (2024-25), with several individual schools moving from B to A in the process. Families should still confirm a specific zoned school's grade rather than assume the district-wide letter describes every campus.
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Learn moreA real, year-over-year improvement
The Florida Department of Education released its 2025-26 school grades on July 2, 2026, and the School District of Escambia County earned an overall 'A' grade -- alongside neighboring Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties, both of which also earned 'A' grades in the same cycle, per WEAR TV's coverage. That's a genuine step up from the district's 'B' grade in 2024-25 (the same news outlet's coverage of the prior year's release). Specific schools that moved from a B to an A grade in the 2025-26 cycle include Blue Angels Elementary, Lipscomb Elementary, Montclair Elementary, Beulah Middle, Ernest Ward Middle, and Tate High School.
A regional strength, not a single-district outlier
Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties all earning 'A' grades in the same 2025-26 cycle suggests a broader Northwest Florida improvement rather than an Escambia-specific anomaly -- worth knowing for families comparing Escambia County against neighboring Panhandle counties as part of a relocation decision.
The prior year is a useful data point on trajectory
In the 2024-25 cycle, Escambia County schools earned a 'B' grade overall, with about 86% of schools upholding or exceeding their prior-year performance -- and three specific schools (Warrington Prep, Navy Point, and Global Learning Academy) received 'D' grades that year, per NorthEscambia.com's coverage of that release. The move from that 'B' with three D-rated schools to an 'A' district grade the following year is a real, sourced improvement trajectory, though it's still worth confirming whether those specific schools improved in the 2025-26 cycle directly with the district or the Florida DOE's school grades database.
Always verify your specific zoned school
As with any district-wide letter grade, the 'A' for 2025-26 averages over real variation at the individual-school level. Families should confirm their specific zoned school's current grade and performance history directly with Escambia County Public Schools or the Florida DOE's school grades database before assuming the district-wide grade describes any one campus, particularly for a school that may still be recovering from a lower grade in the prior cycle.
Key takeaways
- Escambia County Public Schools earned an overall 'A' grade from the Florida Department of Education for 2025-26 (released July 2, 2026) -- up from a 'B' grade in 2024-25, a real, sourced year-over-year improvement.
- Specific schools moved from B to A in the 2025-26 cycle: Blue Angels Elementary, Lipscomb Elementary, Montclair Elementary, Beulah Middle, Ernest Ward Middle, and Tate High School.
- Neighboring Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties also earned A grades in the same 2025-26 cycle -- a regional Northwest Florida improvement, not an Escambia-specific outlier.
- The prior year (2024-25) saw a 'B' district grade with three schools (Warrington Prep, Navy Point, Global Learning Academy) earning D grades -- worth confirming directly whether those specific schools improved in the newer 2025-26 release before assuming the district-wide A applies evenly.
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