Nassau County is one of only 18 Florida school districts to earn the state's "academically high-performing" designation for 2025-26.

The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) presented the designation to the State Board of Education on Wednesday, Oct. 14, according to a district announcement published Monday, Oct. 19. Out of 67 districts statewide, Nassau County was among the select group that met all three qualifying benchmarks.

The designation evaluates more than test scores. Districts must satisfy requirements in three areas: school and district grades for 2025-26, class-size compliance for 2025-26 and financial audit reviews for 2024-25. The district's announcement described the honor as reflecting "sustained academic performance" alongside class-size and financial-accountability requirements.

That makes it a broader measure than the individual school grades the state releases each summer. A district can have strong schools but still fall short on class-size rules or audits.

Nassau County already holds an A district grade from the FLDOE and ranks No. 2 among all 67 Florida school districts, according to accountability results the district announced in July. The district also posted the state's No. 1 marks in grades 6 through 8 mathematics and English language arts and in grade 8 science.

Superintendent Kathy Burns, commenting on those July results, said the performance reflects daily work in every classroom across Nassau County and a shared commitment to student success.

A separate Volusia County Schools announcement confirmed the 18-district figure, describing the qualifying group as meeting standards for academic achievement, class-size requirements and sound financial practices through positive audit reviews.

The academically high-performing designation is distinct from the school-level excellence awards the FLDOE also issues. Ten Nassau County schools received Schools of Excellence designations earlier this year.

The full list of all 18 qualifying districts has not been published in the district's announcement.