Florida’s high school graduation rate soared last year, topping 92% –– the highest in state history.
The 92.2% state average represented a 2.5 percentage point increase from the prior year.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the record rate during his state-of-the-state speech Tuesday, and state education officials later noted that graduation rates also rose for groups of students who often lag in school, including those learning English and those with disabilities.
“These achievements demonstrate what can be accomplished when we uphold rigorous standards, provide robust support to schools and prepare every student for success beyond graduation,” Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said in a statement.
The graduation rate is the percentage of students who graduated within four years of enrolling in high school. There were 203,541 public school graduates in Florida last school year.
Central Florida school districts met or outpaced the statewide average, and district leaders were delighted.
The Osceola County school district’s graduation rate was just below the state average at 91.1%, but it was the highest graduation rate in the district’s history and 2.3 percentage points above its figure for 2024.
Superintendent Mark Shanoff said a districtwide mindset that high school graduation is just the beginning for students and the Osceola Prosper program, which gives high school graduates two years of tuition to Valencia College or to Osceola Technical College, helped more students make it to commencement.
Osceola’s next goal, Shanoff said, is to close its gap with the statewide average.
“We embrace high expectations. We want the accountability and we appreciate the accountability,” he said. “It definitely shows the public that we’re being good stewards, and that we are putting our students in a position to be the next generation of Florida’s economy.”
The graduation rate for Orange County Public Schools rose just above the state average to 92.7%. The rate was even higher for just the district’s traditional high schools, which had 97.2% of its students graduating.
“This milestone reflects the dedication of every adult who supported our students, including teachers, school leaders, staff, district teams, and community partners, along with the steadfast support of parents and families,” Superintendent Maria Vazquez said in a statement.
The Lake and Seminole county school districts’ graduation rates both hit 94.4%.
Lake Superintendent Diane Kornegay said she attributed the success to a host of efforts, including intervention programs.
“I am incredibly proud of the hard work, resilience, and commitment that have brought us to this point. Congratulations, Team Lake,” Kornegay said in a press release.
“This achievement belongs to our students and to the dedicated professionals who support them every day,” said Seminole Superintendent Serita Beamon in a statement, and shows a commitment to “academic success across the district.”