TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida's public schools have reached an all-time high this year with 62 percent earning an A in the state's grading system after taking the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

In Duval County, 101 schools out of 148 earned good or excellent grades, which represents about two-thirds of the district's schools -- in 2008, 85 schools earned a grade of A or B.

Nineteen schools received a D or F this year, down from 26 in 2008. Forty-five schools have improved their grades, 17 of which have increased dramatically by two or more letter grades.

"These gains in achievement can be attributed to the hard work of our students, teachers, principals and district support staff," said Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals. "We are especially encouraged by the progress the majority of our elementary and middle turnaround schools have made."

The district credits many of the successes, particularly in the turnaround elementary and middle schools, to an increased focus and support to students and staff. Additional support and professional development opportunities will be provided to the schools with the greatest challenges.

"Community involvement is vital to student success," said School Board Chairman Tommy Hazouri. "Thanks to the tireless efforts of our teachers, community members and collaborative partnerships, the quality of education for Duval County students has greatly improved."

However, state officials said Thursday that the schools continue to fall short when it comes to the federal government's No Child Left Behind program. Only 23 percent-- or, 785 of 3,354-- of Florida schools made adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind. That is 1 percentage point less and seven schools fewer than last year.

That is in sharp contrast to the state grades. Not all schools are graded, but of 2,954 included this year, 62 percent-- 237 more schools than last year-- received an A, 17 percent a B, 14 percent a C, 6 percent a D and only 1 percent an F. There were only 44 F -- or failing -- schools in Florida, one fewer than last year. The 2,043 schools that received an A or raised their grades by at least one letter - 69 percent of the total - will reap rewards of $75 per student.

The large difference stems from the different standards of measurement. School grades are based on student performance as measured by the Sunshine State Standards section of the FCAT. The 2009 FCAT results released in May reported that more Duval County students are performing at or above grade level in reading, math and science compared to previous years.

Officials say No Child Left Behind requires passing grades in each of about 30 different subgroups that account for factors such as race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, disability and English proficiency. If a school falls short in just one subgroup results it fails to make adequate progress.

As the grades were released, Democrats criticized the system for relying exclusively on FCAT scores.

"Public school accountability and progress should be based on the whole body of work that schools, teachers and students accomplish throughout the year rather than on a one-day snapshot," said Florida House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands of Weston.

High school grades next year will be partly based on other factors such as graduation rates under a law passed last year. Sands said more should be done to broaden the criteria.

He also praised students and teachers for the results but noted that Florida's graduation rate ranked among the nation's lowest in a recent study published by Education Week Magazine.

Complete state, district, and school-level summary reports are available at SchoolGrades.fldoe.org.