Record Graduation Rates For Polk County High Schools

POLK COUNTY, FL — Polk County Public Schools' graduation rate is at a new record high, according to a report by the Florida Department of Education.

Polk County’s 14 traditional public high schools had an average graduation rate of 91.6 percent in 2019-20, an increase of 2.8 percentage points from the previous year (88.8 percent in 2018-19), the school district said.

“I am so proud of our teachers, staff, students and their families,” Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd said “The class of 2020 was forced to remotely finish classes, and instructors found creative and innovative ways to teach from afar. PCPS employees worked tirelessly to provide meals, technology and other resources to keep students striving for success. You can’t help but be inspired by their toughness, tenacity and dedication.”

Additional highlights from the latest graduation data include:

• Polk’s graduation rate for Black students rose to 86.7 percent and 85.7 percent for Hispanic/Latino students, compared to each group’s rate of 78.7 percent the year prior.

• Over the last five years, the district’s graduation rate has risen by 14.7 percentage points.

“We saw some huge jumps in our schools’ graduation rates, which is really exciting,” Byrd said. “However, we must temper our excitement with a realistic perspective. The pandemic continues to disrupt and impact our schools. In addition, state exams were waived for the class of 2020 due the pandemic. With state exams once again in place, we could see a graduation rate drop for next year. Nevertheless, we remain committed to keeping students on track and helping them achieve academic success. There is still much work to be done.”

Listed below are the current graduation rates for Polk County’s traditional public high schools with 2019 rates listed in parentheses for comparison:

• Auburndale High 89.1 percent (87 percent; +2.1)
• Bartow High 95.3 percent (92.4 percent; +2.9)
• Fort Meade High 97.3 percent (94.9 percent; +2.4)
• Frostproof High 84.9 percent (87.7 percent; -2.8)
• George Jenkins High 97.3 percent (96.2 percent; +1.1)
• Haines City High 88.9 percent (84.9 percent; +4)
• Kathleen High 91.5 percent (79.7 percent; +11.8)
• Lake Gibson High 97.7 percent (92 percent; +5.7)
• Lake Region High 92.7 percent (89.6 percent; +3.1)
• Lakeland High 92.5 percent (93.3 percent; -0.8)
• Mulberry High 94.7 percent (95.5 percent; -0.8)
• Ridge Community High 88.8 percent (88.1 percent; +0.7)
• Tenoroc High 80.6 percent (80.1 percent; +0.5)
• Winter Haven High 90.9 percent (86.7 percent; +4.2)