INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. — Florida education leaders are touting the state's highest high school graduation rate in history.
88% of Florida high schoolers graduated in the 2022/23 school year, and nearly all of our area school districts saw rates even higher.
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High school graduation is the pinnacle of the education experience. This year, more students made it across the stage in Florida than ever before.
Christine Sylvain, the executive director of Path To College, helps get them there in Palm Beach County.
"It is absolutely critical for our students to have someone in their corner who is stepping forward and walking that path through high school and onto college with them," Sylvain said.
Sylvain leads the nonprofit organization, working with students from lower income backgrounds to reach their full potential.
"I always say our schools do as much as they can during the hours of the school day, and that some of our kids need extra support after the schools close. So at Path To College, we meet with students after school to do that mentoring, to do that tutoring, the career exploration, to match them to internships, to help them apply to college, to scholarships," Sylvain said.
Most of our area exceeded the state's 88% graduation rate.
Palm Beach County came in with a 90.5%. It was 90.3% in Martin County, slightly higher at 91.5% in St. Lucie County, 71.7% in Okeechobee County, and the highest graduation rate in our area was Indian River County at 95.6%.
"Graduation rate is the number one indicator of how successful a school system is," said Superintendent Dr. David Moore of the School District of Indian River County.
Moore said collaboration and hard work helped the district achieve the third-highest graduation rate in the state this year. He added that the district starts tracking graduation progress during a student's freshman year, providing intervention and support where needed.
"You don't improve a graduation rate the last year a student is in school. You improve it by making sure support is being provided to students as they navigate that four-year experience," Moore said.
Moore also credits student involvement in sports and extracurricular activities for keeping kids engaged and on track in the classroom.
The graduation rate for Palm Beach County schools leads the large urban school districts in Florida and exceeds the state average, according to the Florida Department of Education. The graduation rate increased from 89% to 90.5% overall, and from 92.8% to 94.1% for district-operated schools. Over a five-year period, the graduation rate increased by 3.4%.
"This achievement represents our students being prepared and ready for life beyond high school," Superintendent Mike Burke said. "I am proud of all the accomplishments of the Class of 2023, and appreciate the dedicated team of educators, staff, and administrators who have made this achievement possible."
Six Palm Beach County schools had graduation rates of 99% or higher: Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Olympic Heights Community High School, Spanish River Community High School, Suncoast High School, Village Academy (100%), and West Boca Raton Community High School.