Jackson County School grades show improvement
By: Shelia Mader
It was a happy day at the school board office Monday when the announcement was made that Jackson County had three schools that scored an A. Out of the other six schools reporting, three were a B school and three were a C school. The district maintained their B grade from the 2024 testing period.
Cottondale High School moved up from a ‘B’ to an ‘A’ school, making the top grade for the first time since the 2010-2011 school year. Malone repeated last year’s feat of being an ‘A’ school with another ‘A’ this year. Moving from a ‘C’ to an ‘A’ was Sneads Elementary.
We spoke with former Cottondale High principal Aaron Day about his students’ progress and reaching the status of an ‘A’ school. Day was all smiles, “I still remember when I announced the students the first week of school that our goal was for CHS to be an ‘A’ School. Many of the students snickered and some them laughed out loud. Not many of them believed in themselves enough to think it could actually happen. Little by little, day after day, they started to believe. They begin to realize just how incredible they were. They began to feel special, and you could see it in their demeanor. I could see them starting to believe they were truly special and could accomplish anything they set their mind to do.”
Day told his students through social media, “You outscored every single high school and middle in Jackson County with your 69%, 05% above the necessary 64% to score for an ‘A’ school.” He left his students with this, “Once I am your principal, I will always be your principal. And if we want to make the world a better place, it must first begin with us.”
Bryant Hardy, principal at Malone School, was equally pleased that his students answered the call of a repeat performance but as everyone knows, Hardy is a man of few but powerful words, “Our staff and students worked really hard this year. All that work paid off again and I'm excited for them. Malone is a great school rooted in tradition and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Sneads Elementary School Principal Amy Allen knew she was going to be an ‘A’ school this year, don’t ask how but she knew. They gained 165 points to earn the ‘A’ status, improving from a ‘C’. On the third day of school, she had proclaimed Sneads Elementary as an ‘A’ school and she had proof in the pudding. A lady of many words, Allen was overwhelmed with emotions, “I could not be prouder of the faculty, staff, and students of Sneads Elementary. This was my first year at SES and I have witnessed firsthand the power of teamwork and community. We set a goal of returning to an A school when we started last year and everyone rose to the challenge. This would not have happened without the tireless efforts, dedication and commitment to academic excellence of our faculty and staff. Our students worked so hard to meet goals and truly wanted to make us proud. The support from parents, churches, and our community was tremendous, and we so appreciate each one of you.”
Superintendent Hunter Nolen said the district increased 29 points to achieve a ‘B’ as a district grade. He said this was the highest scale score the district had ever received. Also highlighting the good news was Jackson County’s 3rd in the state ranking in College and Career Acceleration. The graduation rate for Jackson County Schools increased their rate by 11%. The district went from one ‘A’ school in 2024 to three in 2025, with Sneads High School missing the ‘A’ grade by two points.
Nolen said of the district’s overall rating and effort, “I am so happy to share that the Jackson County School District has earned a ‘B’ rating from the Florida Department of Education for the 2024 – 2025 School year; the Jackson County’s highest ever “B” ranking to date. Even more exciting is 67% or our schools earned an ‘A’ or ‘B’ and we saw growth across English language arts, science, social studies, Middle School Acceleration, High School Acceleration, and Graduation. To our teachers, staff, students, families, and community partners, thank you for a very successful school year. Your hard work, dedication, and passion for education is what makes the difference. We maintain our commitment to continue this path towards excellence in learning for the upcoming school year. We are well on our way to earning more ‘A’s the jAco wAy!