Mainstreet Daily News
The Alachua County Public Schools’ (ACPS) on-time graduation rate for high schools increased in 2022 from 90.9% to 91.4%, according to data released Friday by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE).
The state listed the district’s overall graduation rate at 85.8% for 2022, a decrease of 8/10ths of a percentage point over 2021. But those numbers also reflected students at independently operated charter schools, which saw their numbers decrease from 39.6% to 37.7%
Florida’s overall graduation rate for 2022 fell by 2.8 percentage points in 2022, from 90.1% to 87.3%. Fifty-six of the state’s 67 school districts saw graduation rates fall for 2022.
The Class of 2022 was the initial class required to pass state tests to graduate since 2019, according to the FDOE report. During COVID, the graduation test requirements were waived.
“At the high school level, we’re working with our partners to give students opportunities outside of regular school time that connect the curriculum with the real world,” said the district’s Chief of Teaching and Learning Jennie Wise in a press release. “That includes experiences to bring to life subjects like algebra and biology, which students must pass to graduate.”
Newberry High School had the district’s highest graduation rate in 2022 at 98.5%, followed by the Professional Academies Magnet at Loften High School with a 98.3% rate.
Alachua eSchool — the district’s virtual school — had the district’s highest jump in graduation rates in 2022, increasing from 68.4% to 85.5%.
Professional Academies Magnet at Loften High School had the next-highest increase in graduation rates of nearly two percentage points.
“One of the best parts of being an educator is seeing a student who has worked so hard reach the required assessment score, raise their GPA or get the final credit they need for graduation,” said PAM@Loften principal Kris Bracewell.
The 2022 graduation rates for district-operated high schools are:
Newberry High School: 98.5%
Professional Academies Magnet at Loften High School: 98.3%
Buchholz High School: 95.9%
Santa Fe High School: 88.8%
Gainesville High School: 88.7%
Eastside High School: 88.4%
Alachua eSchool: 85.5%
Hawthorne High School: 81.4%