Last academic year, Florida public high schools marked a historically high graduation rate, according to a recent report from the Florida Department of Education.
Just over 92 percent of seniors earned diplomas in Florida last year. That’s a couple of percentage points higher than the 2023-2024 academic year and a significant increase over 20 years ago, when just 59 percent of high school seniors reached that milestone.
Lee County’s graduation rate improved as well.
Superintendent Denise Carlin remarked on the gains at a recent school board meeting.
"We received some great news today from the state of Florida. Our graduation rate for high school students with a four year cohort is up by four percentage points this year. We have just about hit the 90% mark. It's one of our largest increases. … Fort Myers High School and North Fort Myers High School each achieved exceptional 99% graduation rates. So great things are happening in Lee County," she said.
Collier County jumped up three percentage points, graduating over 94 percent of seniors, its highest rate in history.
Superintendent Leslie Ricciardelli said in a statement to WGCU, "This is a milestone that culminates in graduation, but I credit it to many years kindergarten all the way up through 12th grade, of students persevering teachers who are relentless in helping to make sure that the kids are successful, counselors who are guiding them along the way, principals and assistant principals who are there to support them, athletic coaches, extracurricular activities, everything that keeps them coming to school, the families who are so supportive of the schools and of kids."
Sarasota's rate improved from 92.5% for the 2023-2024 academic year to 94.3% last year.
Gains were not just felt in affluent areas.
Take Glades County, one of Florida’s most economically challenged counties. It has more than doubled its graduation rate since 2016 when a little over 40 percent of the small high school’s seniors were graduating.
Today, the school district has almost 90% of its seniors leaving school with diplomas in hand.
Another win is in neighboring Okeechobee County which saw its highest gains – an 83 % rate -- in four years. That is a 10 percentage point increase in just two years, Joseph Stanley, the assistant superintendent of administrative services said in an email to WGCU.
Superintendent Dylan Tedders said in a statement: “These results show that our schools are moving in the right direction—and we’re proud of the progress our students and staff have made.”
The lowest-performing district in the state, DeSoto County, logged a graduation rate of just under 78 percent. Although that number is down about 7 percent from a high in 2021, its rate generally reflects a trend upward from a low of less than 55 percent in 2010.
Graduation rates for counties in the WGCU listening area for the 2024-2025 school year are listed below.
Broward 91.4%
Charlotte 91.6%
Collier 94.4%
Miami-Dade 93.1%
DeSoto 77.8%
Glades 89.9%
Hendry 82.0%
Highlands 87.0%
Lee 89.8%
Manatee 87.6%
Monroe 91.9%
Okeechobee 83.7%
Palm Beach 93.5%
Sarasota 94.3%
FLORIDA 92.2%
