JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The graduation rate for Duval County Public Schools students increased again for the 2018-19 school year, according to statewide data released by the Florida Department of Education on Thursday.
The 86.5% graduation rate for last school year marks the sixth-consecutive year DCPS earned its highest federal graduation rate in the district’s history, according to the district. The graduation rate for the 2017-18 school year was 85.1%.
Over the last 10 years, the graduation rate has jumped by 28%, according to the district, and in the last five years, the graduation rate has increased by almost 10 percent.
“I hope all of Jacksonville will join me in celebrating our students, educators and schools as they continue to break records and become a point of pride for our community,” said Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene in a news release. “This is just one more great example of how we are successfully preparing students for success in college and career and producing a well-equipped workforce for Jacksonville.”
The school district noted that record-high sub-group graduation rates were also seen among black students (84.5%), Hispanic students (87.5%), low socioeconomic students (81.7%) and students with disabilities (84.6%).
“From narrowing the graduation rate gap between the state and the district, to continuing to achieve educational equity for all students, these graduation rates show we are heading in the right direction,” Greene said. “Our trajectory continues to rise toward brighter and brighter futures for our children.”
Notably, the graduation rate at Ribault High School jumped more than eight percent to 95.9%, an increase of more than 22% since the 2011-12 school year, according to the district.
“This is tremendous news for Trojan Nation,” Ribault High School Principal Dr. Gregory D. Bostic said in a news release from the district. “Our school is showing what can happen when, despite enormous odds, you have the support of unbelievably dedicated educators, talented students, and a fiercely-supportive school community.”
Looking at other districts in the area, the St. Johns County School District continued to have one of the highest graduation rates in the state for the 2018-19 school year, with 94.3% of its students graduating.
The Clay County School District improved its graduation rate by nearly 1% compared to last school year with a 91.9% rate for the 2018-19 school year.
Putnam County continued a run of improvement with an 86.3% graduation rate for 2018-19. Just a few years ago, in 2014-15, the district had a graduation rate of 54.9%, state data shows. Bradford County dropped more than 1% to 87.7%.
Nassau County took a slight dip from 92.8% to 92.3%, Flagler County improved .7% to 88.7% and Baker County jumped more than 3% to 78.8% but still remains below its 2016-17 mark of 81%.
The graduation rate for all Flagler County Cchools students last year was 89%, an all-time high.
Florida’s high school graduation rate increased by 0.8 percentage points to 86.9% over the last year.
For a full look at the data visit the FLDOE website.