9 northeast Florida districts increase graduation rates

8 area high schools improve grades

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Statewide graduation rates increased to an 11-year high of 76.1 percent, an increase of 0.5 percent over last year and a rise of nearly 17 percentage points since 2003-04, according to data released Thursday by the Department of Education.

The department also announced high school grades for the 2013-14 academic year, saying all the thresholds for each letter grade increased.

Officials said that even with a higher bar, 71 percent of Florida high schools earned top grades of A or B, and 55 schools improved their grades since last year.

DOCUMENT: 2014 school grades for NE Fla. schools

"I'm proud that Florida's graduation rate has reached an 11-year high of 76.1 percent," Commissioner Pam Stewart said. "This is truly a testament to Florida's hardworking teachers, principals and administrators who help our students achieve success."

Stewart said the nine northeast Florida districts increased their graduation rates, and eight schools in the area improved their grade.

Highlights in northeast Florida include:

Nine districts in the northeast Florida region improved their graduation rates.

  • Baker County's graduation rate rose to 75.2 percent, an increase of more than three percentage points from last year and 10.2 percentage points from 2010-11.
  • Bradford County increased its graduation rate to 71.3 percent, an improvement of nearly four percentage points over last year and 10.2 percentage points from 2010-11.
  • Clay County improved its graduation rate to 80.1 percent, an increase of 2.2 percentage points over last year and 5.7 percentage points over 2010-11.
  • Duval County's graduation rate rose to 74 percent, an improvement of nearly two percentage points over last year and 10.7 percentage points over 2010-11.
  • Flagler County's graduation rate increased to 77.8 percent, an improvement of 7.7 percent since 2010-11.
  • Hamilton County's graduation rate increased to a new high of 78.6 percent, an improvement of 23.1 percentage points over last year and 13.6 percentage points since 2010-11.
  • St. Johns County's graduation rate improved to 87.8 percent, an increase of more than one percentage point from last year and two percentage points since 2010-11.
  • Suwannee County improved its graduation rate to a new high of 76.6 percent, an increase of 17.1 percentage points since last year and 22.2 percentage points since 2010-11.
  • Union County improved its graduation rate to 82.8 percent, an increase of more than 9 percentage points since 2010-11 and nearly 4 percentage points over last year.

Eight northeast Florida region schools improved their school grades.

  • In Clay County, Ridgeview High School increased its grade from B to A.
  • In Duval County, two schools increased their school grades. Sandalwood High School increased its grade from B to A, and Terry Parker High School increased its grade from C to B.
  • In Hamilton County, Hamilton County High School increased its grade from F to D.
  • In Putnam County, Crescent City Junior/Senior High School increased its grade from D to C.
  • In St. Johns County, Pedro Menendez High School increased its grade from B to A.
  • In Suwannee County, Branford High School increased its grade from C to B.
  • In Union County, Union County High School increased its grade from B to A.

Preliminary 2014 grades for public high schools by county

ABCDF
Baker1
Bradford1
Clay34
Columbia2
Duval85620
Flagler2
Nassau22
Putnam4
St. Johns4
Union1


According to the Duval County School District, the county's high schools earned their highest graduation and college readiness rates in history, at more than 74 percent. That's an increase of 1.9 percent over 2013 and 6.3 percent in the last two years, making Duval County the leader in graduation improvement among the state's seven largest school districts (Broward, Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, Orange, Palm Beach, Pinellas) over the last two years.

And for the third consecutive year, Duval County Public Schools does not have any high schools with F grades, despite a statewide increase.

"The work occurring at our high schools is one of our best examples of what transformation looks like, where the district office and schools work in unison with a shared vision of tireless intervention and acceleration," said Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.

Vitti recognized Sandalwood principal Victoria Schultz for her work in increasing the school's grade to an A. Schultz says the grade is the direct result of teachers, students and parents working strategically as a team.

"Every week I email a new strategy to my teachers. They buy in," Schultz said. "I have great kids. They buy into what we're doing."

Sandalwood rose 56 points from its B grade in 2013 to join seven other A schools in Duval County. Junior Jacob Munoz said he's witnessed the change in the classroom since he started at Sandalwood as a freshman.

"All my teachers are really good with me, like one-on-one and as a class with other kids," Munoz said.

He said what he notices the most is his classmates' willingness to learn, with their goals set on going to college or getting a job.

"The teachers are doing a lot better communicating and helping us after school and before school." Munoz said.

James Parks, who has a daughter at Sandalwood, said he's taken note of security changes over the last few years that he said, in turn, has provided an environment that's more conducive to learning.

"It makes me feel she's getting a good education, and they are doing everything they can to make sure they are prepared for life," Parks said.

"I am confident that our state's educators will continue providing a high-quality education that builds on the progress we have made," Stewart said. "As always, there is room for improvement. We will continue working closely with all of our school districts to provide the support necessary to ensure Florida students are prepared for college, a career and life."

The graduation rate measures the percentage of students who graduate within four years of their first enrollment in ninth grade. The rate is calculated for an adjusted cohort of students -- a group of students on the same schedule to graduate -- taking into account those who enter or exit the group.

Florida's graduation rate considers only standard diploma recipients as graduates in the calculation. Students who earn a special diploma, a GED-based diploma or a certificate of completion, or have been retained and are still in school after four years are counted as non-completers in the calculation. Florida's graduation rate has risen by 5.5 percentage points since 2010-11 and 16.9 percentage points since 2003-04.

For more information about graduation rates, go to the FDOE's website.

Preliminary 2014 grades for high schools, combination high schools

NumberPercent
A18836%
B18035%
C12624%
D173%
F92%
Total520

State Board of Education rule mandates that if at least 75 percent of schools earn an A or B, the amount of points needed for a school to earn a school grade is increased in the following year. Since 83 percent of high schools earned an A or B in 2012-13, in accordance with State Board of Education rules, the grading scale was adjusted upward for high schools in 2013-14.

After receiving input from Florida families and educators, Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation in May to simplify the school grading formula to focus on factors critical to student success. This is the final year that school grades will be calculated using the current formula.

The new formula emphasizes success measures such as student achievement, learning gains, graduation rates and earning college credit and industry certifications. School grades will be calculated next year using the new formula, and schools earning a D or F will not be required to implement turnaround options for one year.

For more information about high school grades, go to the FDOE's website.