Survey: Florida schools rank in lower half of country

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Marcia Cisco and her 11-year old son, Joshua Grange, set out early Saturday morning to find out what Stewart Middle Magnet School in Hillsborough County had to offer her sixth-grader.

"When I grow up I plan to be an artist, so far, because I like to draw a lot," Grange said.

When they first moved to the Bay area from Long Island, New York, Cisco said she had major concerns about the quality of education in Florida.

"We tried very hard to be careful with where we sent Joshua," Cisco said.

This past week Education Week released its Chance for Success ranking. Florida ranked in the bottom half at 31 out of 50 states.

The analysis tracks the abilities of the states to provide seamless education from preschool to the post-secondary level. Some of the indicators include traditional factors such as reading and math, as well as school enrollment and graduation rates.

But it also takes into consideration non-traditional factors such as family income, parent education and employment.

Stewart Middle Magnet School's lead teacher, Lynn McDaniel, said the ranking doesn't draw a complete picture.

"We are an A school," McDaniel said. "Hillsborough is an A District. The state has a lot of rural, a lot of migrant workers, who are also factored into that."

Virginia was ranked first and New Mexico last in the survey.

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