The grades are in for schools across Florida, and in Pinellas County some parents are celebrating.

  • More "A", "B" schools in Pinellas than ever before
  • Campbell Park Elementary went from "F" to "C"
  • For full list of school grades, visit schoolgrades.fldoe.org
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On the afternoon of June 28, following the release of grades parents drove by Campbell Park Elementary School honking their horns and yelling out how happy they were the school is no longer an “F” school.

For parents like LaPorsha Grant, the school’s grade is just as important as the ones her daughters get on their report cards.

“It was important because their future’s important to me and I want for them to grow up and get a good education and be able to get a good job and take care of their family,” Grant said.

Grant’s daughter attends an “A” school. Now seven other schools in the district have also earned an "A" grade. Eleven Pinellas schools are now "B" schools, and five improved to "C" schools.

School Superintendent Dr. Mike Grego said he’s proud of the district.

“We’re excited today," said Grego. "Today we have more "A" and "B" schools in Pinellas County than ever before. We also have fewer "D" and "F" schools."

So what about the elementary schools in the predominantly African American communities, those dubbed "failure factories"? We checked:

  • Fairmount Park “F”
  • Maximo “D”
  • Lakewood “D”
  • Melrose “C”
  • Campbell Park “C”

Both Melrose and Campbell Park Elementary were “F” schools in 2015.

Credit for former principal?

Candice Moore’s children attend Campbell Park and she said the new “C” grade doesn’t come as a surprise.

“A lot of parents have been stepping up this year," Moore said. "They’ve been getting involved and they’ve been trying. Let me sign that planner. They’ve been really wanting to see what’s going on with their child’s progress. It’s a collective effort."

Moore is one of the parents we spoke to when we broke the news about the email former Campbell Park principal Christine Hoffman sent out at the end of the school year, asking white students to be put in the same class. She was upset then, but we asked her reaction now, taking into account the new grade.

“I’m sure she showed a sense of concern for the children," Moore said. "I’m sure there was some effort on her part. I know she didn’t come to work every day not wanting to make a difference. So I bet there was some positive strides from her that really helped the children also."

Grego gave Hoffman credit, too.

“The credit goes to everybody," said Grego. "The credit goes to the community, it goes to the teachers, it goes to the leadership. Yes, it goes to her and the whole leadership team."

It’s a momentum the district hopes to maintain in order to bring grades up even more in the future.

There are two other schools in what the district considers the transformation zone. Sandy Lane went from an “F” to a “D” school and High Point went from an “F” to a “B”.

For a complete list of all Florida school grades visit http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org.