Florida's graduation rates are some of the worse in the nation

From the Tampa Bay Times, by Jeff Solochek

The U.S. Department of Education on Monday released its first report on high school graduation rates using common, nationally accepted standards. In past years, states used different formulas for calculating graduation rates, making comparisons difficult.

The new federal comparison, from 2010-11, doesn't paint a pretty picture for Florida. For all students, Florida's graduation rate was 71 percent, lower than all but five states (Alaska, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico and Oregon) and the District of Columbia.

The state's rates for minority groups were lower than the total -- 69 percent of Hispanics and 59 percent of African-Americans. In comparison to other states, Florida's Hispanic graduation rate surpassed that of 17 states and D.C., while its African-American graduation rate was better than five states and D.C.

For more details and comparisons, visit the USDOE's data website. 

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