Volusia County’s graduation rate rose to 93.7% for the academic year that ended in 2024, according to newly released data.
With a 2.1-percentage point increase, Volusia topped the statewide rate for high school graduation, 89.7%, and landed in the state’s top 10 districts for the second consecutive year. Volusia’s rate has climbed by more than 9 percentage points since 2018-2019.
Flagler County’s graduation rate came in at 89%, up from 87.8% the previous year.
“It’s a collective effort,” , Volusia County Superintendent Carmen Balgobin said Friday. “It’s everyone doing their part, starting with the pre-K all the way to (grade) 12.”
Nine of the county’s 10 high schools showed improvement, while Deltona High School finished with 100% and Pine Ridge High School, also in Deltona, increased its rate by 4.4 percentage points, to 97.8%.
Balgobin said the district has made a deliberate effort to monitor students and communicate with schools.
“If anything has been a major contributor to the success that we have been experiencing for the past two years is how we’re monitoring and aligning the necessary resources for students to meet not just the grad requirements, but the skill set to be productive citizens beyond graduation,” Balgobin said.
A recent controversy that led to the resignation of Volusia School Board Chair Jessie Thompson, who questioned the legitimacy of Deltona’s graduation rate, suggests a belief among some observers that standards have been lowered, but Balgobin said that’s not the case.
The criteria for determining graduation rates is set at the state level, Balgobin said.
“To be frank with you, the standards have not been relaxed in any way, shape or form,” Balgobin said. “They are very rigorous standards. I think our students can accomplish anything if you have adults that are working with them that are very focused on the work, what needs to happen and making sure those resources are aligned and in place for our students to be successful.”
Florida’s statewide rate, 89.7%, was a 1.7 percentage-point increase over 2023 and was the highest graduation rate in state history, discounting the pandemic years ending in 2020 and 2021, when standards were relaxed because of missed school days.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said his policies account for the increase.
“Florida leads the nation in education because we put education over indoctrination, empower parents, and have made school choice universal,” DeSantis said. “This record graduation rate is a prime metric of our success, in addition to our No. 1-in-the-nation rating.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia schools jump 2.1 percentage points in 2024 graduation rate