Duval Times

Despite two years of pandemic-impacted learning, the Duval County Public Schools class of 2022 graduated at almost the same rate as their pre-pandemic peers.

In 2019, prior to the pandemic, the graduation rate was 86.5%.  The graduation rate for the class of 2022 was 85.6% according to data released today by the Florida Department of Education.

Rates for the 2021 class and the 2020 class were significantly higher, mainly because of relaxed requirements and testing standards in response to the pandemic.  The 2022 class is the first post-pandemic class graduating under the same standards in place prior to the pandemic.

“I commend our students, educators, school and district leaders, staff, and community partners,” said Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene.  “The fact that we find ourselves almost identical to where we were before the pandemic disruption is a testament to their efforts and their capability to adapt in the most challenging circumstances.”

While the rate for the class of 2022 nearly mirrors 2019, the district lost some ground to the state average. 

“I am actually devastated that we saw our gap against the state average widen slightly,” Greene said.  “We cannot be comfortable with that outcome. Now that we are back to normal school operations, I am confident that the work we did to sustain students through the pandemic and the recent work to support students in making up for lost learning time will be evident in the long run.

Historic Comparisons

• The overall graduation rate of 85.6% is a 13.5 percent point increase over the last 10 years.
• The 13.5 percentage point increase exceeds the state’s rate of improvement of 11.7 percentage points.
• The graduation rate among the low socio-economic subgroup has increased 18.9 percentage points increase over the last 10 years.
• The graduation rate among the exceptional student education subgroup increased to 85.8%, a 1.2 percentage point increase from the 2020-21 school year, while also displaying a 42.7 percentage point increase over the last 10 years.
• The graduation rate among the English language learners subgroup was 69.7%, a 15.9 percentage point increase over the last 10 years.

Original source can be found here.