Dropout Rate

The state high school dropout rate is down and graduations are up and the trend is reflected in our local school districts.

Governor Charlie Crist announced that Florida’s graduation rate reached its highest point ever last year at 75.4 percent, according to results released today by the Florida Department of Education (DOE). This rate exceeds the previous year’s rate by three percentage points and represents an overall improvement of 15.2 percentage points since the 1998-99 school year. The results indicate that rising numbers of minority graduates continue to play a significant role in the improvement of Florida’s overall graduation rate.

The DOE bases its graduation rate on data that follows every single student from ninth grade to graduation, a method that more accurately calculates the number of students who graduate high school.  Florida currently stands alone nationally in its practice of compiling and following individual student records to determine a true, four-year graduation rate.

Locally Walton School District had a graduation rate for the 1998-1999 school year of 68.9%. Last school year the rate was 81.5%. The 06-07 year was 74.2%, down slightly from the 05-06 year at 76.1%. Holmes County had a graduation rate of 76.6% in the 98-99 school year and last year Holmes was at 84.3%. Washington county went from 65.9% in 98-99 to 83.1% last year. Okaloosa rose from 77.1% in 98-99 to 90.5%. The state average last year was 75.4%. All local districts exceeded the state average.

As Florida’s graduation rate continues to rise, its dropout rate continues to decline. According to the results, Florida’s annual high school dropout rate dropped to its lowest point ever this year at 2.6 percent. This rate is a decrease of 0.7 percentage points compared to last year’s rate, and a decrease of 2.8 points since 1998-99.

Locally the dropout rate for distracts were below the state average of 2.6%. Walton’s dropout rate decreased from 5.3% in 98-99 to 1.8% last year. This is lower than the 2.3% rate for the 06-07 year. Holmes County went from 4.0% in 98-99 to 2.4% last year. Both Washington and Okaloosa reports a 1.7% dropout rate last year.

Walton Superintendent Carlene Anderson says the dropout rate and graduation rate validates the district is on the right track. She says statistically having a drop out rate between Okaloosa’s District and Santa Rosa’s District, among those districts which performed the best, shows Walton is doing something right. While happy with the performance in Walton, the Superintendent says they will not be pleased until they have no drop outs and all students graduating.

Walton is 5^th among the districts to have the largest gain per this report.  The district has seen a 7% gain in the last two years.

Anderson says she recognizes the teachers, school staff, school and district administrators for their hard work and committed effort, “making students in the school district successful and prepared for whatever they choose to do after graduation.”