Back in November, I wrote an article for Generation Next describing the A-to-F School Rating Act, an education bill intended to rate the performance of public schools in New Mexico on criteria such as student proficiency in math and reading, student growth in academic subjects and parental involvement in school activities. The bill's implementation has been swift, and the grades are in. Santa Fe schools have received their report cards, and things don't look that good.

As Santa Fe New Mexican education reporter Robert Nott wrote in his Jan. 10 story, "State's grades are in on schools," Santa Fe Public Schools have received an aggregate C rating, an average based on ratings each school in the district received. Of the 29 public schools in Santa Fe, three received an A, seven earned a B, five a C, nine a D, and five an F.

While these grades are not optimal, they are at the level I expected. However, Santa Fe's D and F ratings were 13 points higher than the state average of 35 percent. This appears to be a clear indication that Santa Fe schools are doing poorly even by state standards.

Santa Fe High, where I attend school, received a B. I was surprised by that. While I've received a good learning experience at the school, it's easy to see that many other students haven't. The state Public Education Department reported that Santa Fe High's graduation rate in 2010 was 63.2 percent, almost 4 points down from 2009.

The Academy for Technology and the Classics, the school I attended from seventh to 10th grade, also received a B rating. This came as a shock.

In the past few years, ATC's administration has changed hands numerous times, resulting in a great number of excellent teachers resigning, valuable classes being cut and an overhaul of the school's mission statement.

Last year, an investigation by the Public Education Department led to then-Principal Ed Woodd's resigning, the Governing Council revoking the school's charter and then resigning themselves, and the school being placed under district control.

During my time at ATC, I felt that the education deteriorated year after year.

After suspending my disbelief when I first learned that these schools received B ratings, I was stupefied to read that Tesuque Elementary School, the tiny K-6 where I received my primary schooling, had been branded with a D. Granted, it's been six years since I was there, but when I was an elementary student the teachers and administration were anything but below average.

Santa Fe schools know where they stand and how they can do better. Since 90 percent of the district's learning institutions have room for improvement, it's now up to their administration and the school board to ensure that each school grows in the coming years.

Vaughn Fortier-Shultz is a senior at Santa Fe High School. You can reach him at moosemanxl@gmail.com.