Data is in for the state of Florida’s school graduation rates for the recently-completed 2021-22 school year. Locally and statewide, the numbers were down, attributed to the still-lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Florida Department of Education released data the end of last week that shows the statewide graduation rate dipped to 87.3% after two school years of exceeding 90%. It is still the third-highest percentage since the statistic was tracked, up from 74.5% a decade ago and 59.2% two decades ago. Keep in mind, students in the 2019‐20 and 2020‐21 graduating classes were exempt from statewide, standardized assessment requirements then mandated by state law.
In Osceola County, the 2021-22 rate dropped from a high of 90.7% in 2019-20 to 89.7% in 20-21 to 85.2% last year.
But there were still highlights for 2021-22, according to the School District of Osceola: Ten high schools in Osceola County achieved graduation rates above the state average; Osceola County’s graduation rate for English Language Learners and at-risk students is above the state average; Four high schools in Osceola County were above the state graduation rate for Exceptional Student Education students; Eight high schools in Osceola County were above the state graduation rate for free and reduced lunch students; Ten high schools in Osceola County were above the state graduation rate for English Language Learners; Seven high schools in Osceola County were above the state graduation rate for at-risk students; Nine high schools in Osceola County were above the state graduation rate for male students; Twelve high schools in Osceola County were above the state graduation rate for female students SDOC Superintendent Dr. Debra Pace said that, with the pandemic fully in the rear-view mirror academically, the district is “committed to improvement this year.”
“While we are disappointed in the overall district graduation rate, we are proud of the work our teachers, counselors, principals, and support staff have done to continue to make progress post-COVID, particularly with our most vulnerable student populations,” she said.
Florida’s graduation rate is a “cohort rate”, which defines the group of “non-graduates” — students who have been retained and are still in ninth grade, attending adult education, received certificates of completion, received GED-based diplomas, withdrew to a contracted private school, or dropped out of school. Students who transfer out or pass away are removed from the calculation.
Information from the Osceola County School District was provided for this report.
According to the FDOE, Florida’s federal graduation rate in 2019‐20 was ranked #9 in the nation, the most recent graduation rates released on all states.
