The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) released federal graduation rates on Monday, January 22^nd. As of the publication of this information, the Board has not been provided with a report from the administration, so I have compiled the following information from the FLDOE’s website. https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/data-sys/edu-info-accountability-services/pk-12-public-school-data-pubs-reports/students.stml

The Florida Department of Education reports that the Hendry County School District’s graduation rates have continued to spiral downward, dropping 4.5% from 2021-22 and into the ranking of the second lowest graduation rate among Florida school districts.

While the CHS grad rate was 82.1% and the LHS grad rate was 86.9% for 2022-23, the combined performance of 84.5%, Hendry’s traditional high schools’ graduation rates have continued to be diluted by the continued poor performance of two online schools affiliated with the Hendry County School District and for which the superintendent and Hendry County School Board are responsible.

Digital Academy of Florida (DAOF) is an online charter school that enrolls students who reside throughout Florida. The Hendry County School District collects an administrative fee to serve as the host district for this online school. Regardless of where the enrolled students live, their academic data and their graduation rate of 59.3%, down 5.5% from the previous year, is included with Hendry County’s outcomes.

DAOF has had a significant part in driving down the collective graduation rate in Hendry County the past two years and overshadowing the outcomes achieved by Hendry County’s students who attend brick-and-mortar schools. When it comes to the financial impact of this data, keep in mind that an online school (and the Hendry County School District) do not receive funds (or administrative fees) for students who fail to complete.    

The other online school is the Hendry Online Academy that was created as an alternative to the Clewiston and LaBelle Youth Development Academies. Students who have committed a behavior infraction along the lines of vaping or fighting have the option of enrolling in the online educational platform in lieu of participating in an expulsion hearing. Hendry Online Academy’s graduation rate this year was 24.1%, down a whopping 43.8% from the previous year’s rate of 67.9%.

Based on historical data included in the chart I provided, the 2022-2023 data begs to question: 1) Has removing the students from a brick-and-mortar classroom setting improved the academic performance of the students who were removed and/or the students in Hendry’s traditional schools?  2) Was the unilateral decision to close the Clewiston and LaBelle Youth Development Academy a grave misstep for both students and the communities?

Site selectors are employed by businesses seeking to start up, expand, or relocate within Florida and ultimately seek out communities for their clients that have a workforce that can help grow their business. A county with the second lowest graduation rate in the state does not fare well in this selection process.

The views and opinions expressed are those of Stephanie Busin and do not necessarily reflect those of other members of the Hendry County School Board.