High School Graduation Rates Up Across Florida

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Florida’s high school graduation rates reached a 12-year high when the class of 2015 received its diplomas at the start of last summer.

That’s according to the Florida Department of Education, which just released data related to the state’s high school graduation rate for the 2014-15 school year. The statewide graduation rate climbed to 77.8 percent, which is up 18 percentage points from the 2003-04 school year. The rise is also 1.7 percentage points higher than the 2013-14 figures, the state noted.

Graduation rates measure the percentage of students who complete their high school education within four years of enrollment in the ninth grade. The rate does not consider students who earn special diplomas, GEDs or certificates of completion, the state noted. As for the 22.28 percent of students who did not receive their diplomas in 2014-15, the state notes that doesn’t necessarily mean they dropped out.

“Nongraduates include students who have been retained and are still in school, received certificates of completion or received GED-based diplomas,” a media release stated. “In Florida’s 2014-15 cohort, 4.09 percent of the students dropped out and 18.09 percent are still enrolled in school, earned a certificate of completion, special diploma or GED-based diploma.”

Most Tampa Bay area counties saw their graduation rates climb last year, but that wasn’t the case in all. Pasco and Sarasota counties experienced a slight decline, state records indicate. Here’s how graduation rates stacked up in school districts throughout the Tampa Bay area:

• Hillsborough County – 76 percent in 2014-15, up 2.5 percentage points over the prior year
• Pinellas County – 78.3 percent in 2014-15, up 2.1 percentage points over the previous year
• Pasco County – 78.6 percent in 2014-15, down from 79.4 percent in 2013-14
• Sarasota County – 79.2 percent in 2014-15, down from 81.3 percent in 2013-14
• Manatee County – 77.9 percent, up 2.2 percentage points over the prior year
• Polk County – 69.4 percent in 2014-15, up 0.4 percentage points over the previous year
• Hernando County – 78 percent in 2014-15, up 1.3 percentage points over the prior year

For more information about Florida schools, visit the Florida Department of Education online.

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