Citrus County’s Graduation Rates Continue to Rise

Citrus County’s Graduation Rates Continue to Rise
Posted on 01/07/2022
CHS graduation

Despite the pandemic, Citrus County Schools once again saw an increase in graduation rates. The Citrus County School District is proud to announce that the 2021 graduation rate rose from 87.1% to 88.1%. Citrus County increased by approximately 1% which is a greater increase than the state average increase of only 0.1%.  

Citrus High School

93.2%

Crystal River High School

86.6%

Lecanto High School

92.6%

District

88.1%

State

90.1%

 

The district’s graduation rate of 88.1 percent is comprised of students from our three high schools and alternative learning schools, such as Renaissance, E-Nini Hassee, Cypress Creek Juvenile Detention Facility, CREST, and PACE.

Florida’s graduation rate is a cohort graduation rate. A cohort is defined as a group of students on the same schedule to graduate. The graduation rate measures the percentage of students in the 2020-21 graduating class who graduate within four years of their first enrollment in ninth grade (2017-18). When comparing the 2020-21 graduation rate to prior years, it is important to note that exemptions were provided per Emergency Order No. 2021-EO-2 for students expected to graduate in the Spring of 2021. Similar to the previous year, students in the Class of 2021 were exempt from statewide, standardized assessment graduation requirements due to disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Citrus County’s current graduation rate is 88.1 percent, but that does not mean that 11.9 percent of students in the cohort are dropouts. In fact, only 4.1% were classified as dropping out, which is a 1.3% decrease from the previous year. Students in each cohort are classified as graduates, dropouts, or nongraduates. Nongraduates, 7.8% of the class of 2021, are students who are still enrolled and scheduled to earn a diploma, attending adult education, earned a certificate of completion, or earned a GED-based diploma.

“Our district always strives to do what is best for kids and we are happy to see our graduation rate increasing while our dropout rate decreases,” said Amy Crowell, Director of Research and Accountability. “We recognize that some students need additional time beyond four years to earn a diploma or may take an alternative path, like transferring to an adult education program or earn a GED-based diploma. Even though these students hinder the graduation rate because they are categorized as ‘nongraduates,’ they do reach a level of success that will allow them to enter college or a career path.”

More information can be found on the FDOE website: https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/data-sys/edu-info-accountability-services/pk-12-public-school-data-pubs-reports/students.stml