Florida DOE awards Lakeville Elementary the Five Star School AwardLakeville Elementary School was a recipient of the Five Star School Award for the 2015-2016 school year, the Florida Department of Education announced today, January 9.

The Five Star School Award is given to schools committed to incorporating family and community members into the school environment to enhance student learning. Statewide, nearly 700 schools earned the recognition.

According to the state Department of Education’s list of honorees organized by county, Lakeville is the only Apopka school to receive this honor for 2015-2016.

“Family and community involvement is essential to student success, and I am grateful for the parents, caregivers and community members who invest their time in our state’s schools,” said Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart in a DOE press release. “When school leaders and educators engage the community, the result is higher academic achievement and more students prepared for future success.”

To earn Five Star School recognition, a school must show that it has achieved all of the benchmarks and criteria in five categories – Community/Business Partnerships, Family Involvement, Volunteerism, Student Community Service and School Advisory Council.

Schools must also earn a grade of “C” or above or a school improvement rating of “Maintaining” or “Improving” for the year being recognized.