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So close. This is how the Lee County School District is feeling following the release of the state’s report cards Tuesday morning.

So close to breaking the streak of B’s. So close to that elusive goal of an A.

Barring a change from a planned appeal, the district has scored a B for the sixth consecutive year.

Yet, they came so close. On an 800 point scale, the district missed the mark by two points. They scored 523 points and needed 525 points.

“We tried,” said Chief Academic Officer Connie Jones. “That just gives us something to work towards next year.”

But the district’s grade means little compared to the consequences of the other indicators contained in the report card, including the grades for each school in the state and the indicators used by the No Child Left Behind Act in determining whether schools of low-income students will receive sanctions.

Districtwide, grades saw significant across-the-board increases. Last year, there were four D’s. This year there is only one — East Lee County High School. The district also posted seven more A’s and 11 more B’s.

Though only two schools out of the seven south of Alico Road saw grade changes, and both of them were grade increases, several of their point levels varied widely.

Three Oaks Elementary School, which has held an A since 2003, increased by 25 points to 600 points, making it the No. 10 school in the county. Three Oaks Middle School, which was one point from an A last year, increased by 51 points, and walked away with the top grade.

At Bonita Springs Middle School, the students increased their score by 29 points, raising their school’s grade from a C to a B. Newly installed principal Ruthie Lohmeyer said the best is yet to come. She is making bold predictions for next year.

“I have no doubt, no doubt they’ll be an A next year,” Lohmeyer said of her students and teachers. “That’s my competitive nature coming out.”

Schools maintaining an A or improving a grade will receive $85 per student, instead of the $100 normally awarded. The cut was due to the state’s relatively low revenue figures. Aside from Bonita Middle and the Three Oaks Schools, Spring Creek Elementary School and Bonita Springs Charter School will also receive the funds.

Though Bonita Charter maintained its A grade for a fourth year, all was not perfect. The school lost 39 points in a single year. A repeat next year would result in a score one point above a C.

Sherry Hage, vice president of Education for Charter Schools USA, the parent company of Bonita Charter, said she is working directly with Principal Deborah Tracy to enhance the school’s curriculum.

A new writing program has already been installed and is ready for the students when they return Aug. 18, Hage said.

“We’re continuing to look at programs where we can push students forward in terms of enrichment and remediation,” Hage said. “We will continue the streak of the A.”

Estero High School also saw a sharp decrease in points, but maintained the C grade it has held for all but one of the past eight years. The school dropped 37 points this year, is now 14 points from a D, and is the third-lowest performing school in the district. Principal George Clover said the changes will be numerous.

“We’ve already made some adjustments, we’ve looked at the data, we’ve looked at the teachers that made the biggest gains and we put them in with the 10th-graders,” Clover said.

“We’re not pleased with it, but I’m also looking to do a schoolwide reading and writing program. I’ll be meeting with two or three principals at the schools that have As.”

Though Bonita Springs Elementary School posted several increases in its test scores this year, it lost seven points on the grading scale. The school maintained its B grade, but failed to meet the standards of the No Child Left Behind Act, which may result in having a district administrator mentor the school. The school will escape the act’s worst sanctions, among them having the school shut down, due to its B grade.

“We implemented a lot of new things this year, and everything that we implemented in third grade it all worked,” said Bonita Elementary Principal David Short.

“That fifth-grade math, that was our weakness and what we’re going to have to do is take a long look at our fifth-grade math next year. We just missed it.”

In all, three schools came out of the improvement status this year, among them Spring Creek Elementary. The achievement was hailed by district administrators.

“It’s a huge accomplishment,” said Sheryl Clark, the district’s director of intervention programs.

But despite the other accomplishments — and failures — without a successful appeal, the district will have to wait another year for its A.

“The two hardest things to do,” said district spokesman Joe Donzelli, “is to get to the top, and then stay at the top.”