Florida Graduation Rate Reaches Record High, Bouncing Back Post-Pandemic
Florida’s graduation rate has soared to nearly 90%, marking a significant recovery from the pandemic’s impact on education.
Florida, Graduation Rate, Class of 2024, Education Department, Gov. Ron DeSantis
Florida: The state just announced that its high school graduation rate hit a record high last year. Can you believe it? Almost 90% of the class of 2024 graduated! But there’s a little twist to this story.
So, the graduation rate stands at 89.7%, which is the best it’s ever been. However, this doesn’t count the pandemic years when testing requirements were dropped. Those years had higher rates, around 90% and 90.1%, but they were a bit inflated.
When you look at it without those years, the class of 2024 actually did better than the class of 2019, which had a graduation rate of 86.9%. Pretty impressive, right?
The state has been on an upward trend since they reinstated the language arts and math tests for diplomas. This year, they saw a 1.7% increase from the previous year. That’s a solid improvement!
In Lake County, the graduation rate jumped to 91.7%, while Osceola County saw a four-point increase to 88.8%. Orange and Seminole counties held steady at 89.3% and 91.8%, respectively.
Orange County Public Schools reported an even higher rate of 96% for its traditional high schools. That’s fantastic news! Superintendent Maria Vazquez expressed pride in the graduates, highlighting the teamwork that made this possible.
Osceola’s Superintendent Mark Shanoff also praised the hard work of the students. It’s great to see everyone coming together for a common goal.
Even Gov. Ron DeSantis chimed in, saying this record rate shows that Florida’s education approach is working. He mentioned the funding for teacher pay and scholarships for private schools as part of the success.
It’s been a long journey. Back in 2003-04, only 59.2% of seniors graduated. Now, look at how far they’ve come! This is a developing story, so stay tuned for more updates.