Florida’s high school graduation rate for the 2024-25 school year reached a best-ever 92.2%, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Education.
The rates increased 2.5 percentage points over the prior year and a 4.9-point climb since 2021-22. The numbers show a vast improvement since 2005, when 56% of students graduated from high school. Some counties showed two-decade highs.
All subgroups improved, including African American, Hispanic, English-learning, economically disadvantaged and students with disabilities.
During Tuesday's State of the State address, Gov. Ron DeSantis connected the progress to the state's emphasis on school choice, parental rights, the end of accountability testing and a classroom ban on cellphones.
Local graduation rates
| # | County | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pasco | 95.5% | 96.9% | +1.4 |
| 2 | Sarasota | 92.5% | 94.3% | +1.8 |
| 3 | Pinellas | 91.5% | 93.4% | +1.9 |
| 4 | Hernando | 88.1% | 93.5% | +5.4 |
| 5 | Hillsborough | 88.0% | 90.9% | +2.9 |
| 6 | Polk | 82.2% | 87.7% | +5.5 |
| 7 | Manatee | 85.7% | 87.6% | +1.9 |
"Today, we have universal school choice and rank as the No. 1 state in the union for parental empowerment and education freedom to better measure performance," DeSantis said. "We replace high-stakes testing with more reliable and consistent progress monitoring."
The growth was also celebrated by school districts, including those in the Tampa Bay area.
In Pinellas County, the graduation rate jumped nearly 2 percentage points over the previous school year, to 93.4%.
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“All 17 traditional high schools topped 90%, and Palm Harbor University knocked it out of the park with a 100% graduation rate,” the Pinellas district said in a social media post. "We are so proud of our students, educators, and amazing community. You made this happen!”
In Hillsborough, a record-high 90.9% of the students earned a diploma.
“This means 910 more students than the previous year crossed the stage, ready for college, careers, the military or whatever their next journey in life may hold,” the district noted on social media.
In Pasco, 96.9% of its seniors earned a diploma, up from 95.5%. Sarasota went from 92.5% to 94.3%. Hernando, Manatee and Polk each moved up nearly 5 points.
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"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," state Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said.
Included in the statewide tally:
- English Language Learners saw the largest gains, increasing 5.6 points over last year and 13.3 points since 2021-22.
- African American students' rate went up 3.9 points over the previous year and 7.2 points since 2021-22.
- Among Hispanic students, graduations were up 2.6 points over last year and 5.7 points since 2021-22.
- The rate for students with disabilities increased by 2.3 points over 2024-25 and 5.6 points since 2021-22.
- Among economically disadvantaged students, numbers improved by 3.3 points over last year and 6.4 points since 2021-22.
The news comes as several districts grapple with decreasing enrollment and budget shortfalls.
Factors for the enrollment drains include school choice expansion, an increase in homeschooling and even heightened concerns over immigration enforcement, public education advocates have said.
The state's largest teachers union, in a rebuttal to DeSantis's speech, decried the state's emphasis on vouchers and choice.
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"Anti-public education corporate interests at both the state and the federal level have pushed the privatization of public education as the magical fix for a chronic lack of investment in public schools, all the while creating systems that drain our public schools of billions of dollars each year," the Florida Education Association said.
According to the union, educator pay isn't keeping up with rising costs.
"Unsustainable policy has led to teacher and education staff professional vacancies that are getting harder and harder to fill," it said.
Education experts have warned that with recent Florida laws that made it easier to turn public schools into charter schools, and new bills under consideration in the Legislature, more public schools may close or be converted.
Information from Central Florida Public Media was used in this report.
