Dropout Rate Drops Dramatically,
Graduation Rate Up Slightly

The dropout rate for Alachua County Public Schools has dropped dramatically, falling to its lowest level in ten years.

According to the Florida Department of Education, the local dropout rate fell from 6.6% in 2006-07 to 3.6% in 2007-08. That’s by far the lowest dropout rate for the district since the 1998-99 school year. The next-lowest rate was 5% in 2004-05.

The decrease in the dropout rate for African-American students was particularly significant. It fell  from 9% to 5% districtwide.

According to the state, the district’s graduation rate increased slightly in 2007-08, from 68.2% to 68.3%. There was a significant increase in the graduation rate for African-American students, which rose from 53.7% to 58.5%.

“I’m very pleased with the big reduction in the number of students who are dropping out of school, but we do have more work to do to ensure that those students who stay in school are able to graduate on time,” said Superintendent Dan Boyd.

District officials attribute the decrease in the dropout rate to better student tracking and academic programs that are giving students a reason to stay in school. One such program is CROP, or the Credit Retrieval Option Program. The program allows high school students to make up credits they are missing during after school sessions or over the summer.

“We’ve found that CROP gives hope to a lot of students who would otherwise have given up and dropped out,” said Sandy Hollinger, deputy superintendent for instruction and student services. “They can now see a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Hollinger says the district and schools will spend the next few weeks analyzing the data so that adjustments can be made to instructional programs and student tracking systems.

“We do know we have a number of students who are taking more than four years to graduate, and that’s affecting our rate,” said Hollinger. “We need to look at what we can do to get those kids through high school on time.”