Superintendent Robert Runcie and the Broward County School Board
By: Sharon Aron Baron
The Florida Department of Education released graduation rates for the 2018/19 school year and the numbers look good for the state and the district.
Broward County Public Schools announced the District’s Federal Graduation Rate, which includes traditional high schools, centers, and charter schools which rose to 86.2 percent, which is nearly 15 percentage points higher than in 2011/12.
The figures are even better for traditional District high schools only which excludes centers and charter schools, maintaining its highest level from 2017/18, at 95.1 percent.
Graduation rates also increased among the following:
Black/African American students had a 2.2 percentage point increase from 2017/18 at 81.6 percent, Hispanic students had a 1.4 percentage point increase from 2017/18 at 86.9 percent and white students had a 1.5 percentage point increase from 2017/18 91.6 percent.
Atlantic Technical High School in Coconut Creek and College Academy at Broward College in Fort Lauderdale achieved graduation rates of 100 percent for the third consecutive year. Sheridan Technical High School in Fort Lauderdale achieved a graduation rate of 100 percent in 2018/19.
South Broward High School in Hollywood achieved the largest graduation rate increase from the previous year, increasing by 5 percentage points to 94.4 percent.
The following high schools also made significant increases in their graduation rates from 2017/18 to 2018/19: Stranahan High School for a 4.1 percentage point increase to 92.6 percent, Cooper City High School for a 2.4 percentage point increase to 98.2 percent, and Nova High School for a 1.7 percentage point increase to 98 percent.
The graduation rate for our students with disabilities increased by more than 30 percentage points from 2011/12 to 2018/19.
“These graduation rates are an outstanding accomplishment – the highest our District has ever achieved at 86.2 percent,” said BCPS Superintendent Robert W. Runcie. “This reflects the hard work of our students, teachers, staff, and administrators, as well as the ongoing support from our families and community.