Highlands County graduation rate improves

The high school graduation rate for the 2008-09 school year improved in Highlands County, according to data released Friday by the Florida Department of Education.

According to Florida's calculation, the graduation rate improved in Highlands County from 71.2 percent in 2007-09 to 76.3 percent in 2008-09. The statewide graduation rate for 2008-09 was 78.6 percent.

According to the 2008-09 National Graduation Rate Rankings, Highlands County's graduation rate was 73.3 percent in Highlands County and 76.3 percent statewide.

Florida's graduation rate reached a record level this year by climbing more than 3 percentage points to 76.3 percent despite the removal of GED recipients from the calculation, according to the FDOE.

The substantial progress experienced this year is largely due to increased graduation rates among Hispanic and African-American students (up 4.5 percent and 4.1 percent, respectively), almost double the 2.3 percent increase experienced by white students since last year, the FDOE reported.

"Florida's education system continues to be a rising star in our nation, and our teachers and school leaders should be commended for their extraordinary efforts," said Gov. Crist, in a prepared statement. "Our graduation rate is one of many recent measurements showing the progress we are making to ensure every student is capable of academic success."

Highlands County's drop out rate remained unchanged from 2007-08 to 2008-09 at 4.2 percent.

Florida's dropout rate continued its decline this year to a record low of 2.3 percent, according to the FDOE. This is a decrease of .3 percentage points compared to last year and .7 points since 2004-05.