District staff presented newly released state graduation-rate data showing gains at the county’s brick-and-mortar high schools and a large-year improvement at the Digital Academy of Florida (DAOF), while cautioning that the DAOF cohort affects the districtwide number.

Assistant superintendent or data lead (Mister Sanchez) told the board that LaBelle High School’s graduation rate nudged to 87.1 percent and Clouston High School recorded roughly a five-point increase from the prior year. The Digital Academy of Florida, which serves a significant portion of the district’s graduates, increased from below 60 percent to 74.1 percent in the most recent year; Sanchez said that because the DAOF cohort represents a large share of district graduates, its figure pulls down the district’s combined reported graduation rate to 80.6 percent.

Why it matters: State reporting counts all cohorts that the district is responsible for; an alternative view that excludes the DAOF cohort yields a stronger picture of the district’s brick-and-mortar high schools. District presenters urged readers to interpret the 80.6 percent figure with understanding of cohort composition.

Key data and context presented:
- LaBelle High School: 2023-to-2024 increase to approximately 87.1 percent (board packet numbers shown by presenter).
- Clouston High School: roughly a five-percentage-point increase year over year.
- Digital Academy of Florida: large reported jump to 74.1 percent; DAOF carries a significant share of the district’s online students and therefore strongly influences the combined district figure.
- Henry Online Academy: presenter said the program had a low-graduation cohort (45 percent) and that the district is changing how that cohort will be counted in future reporting.

Superintendent Swindle and staff highlighted specific local improvement work — 9th grade academy initiatives and reading interventions at elementary levels — as contributors to upward trends in brick-and-mortar schools. Staff also said they are working closely with the Digital Academy of Florida and invited DAOF to present to the board to show progress.

District staff provided comparative tables showing where the district and its brick-and-mortar high schools fall within a regional consortium and statewide distributions. Officials said they would return with school-level deep dives and additional measures (for example, PM1-to-PM2 growth metrics) on request from board members.