The Escambia County graduation rates have improved but still lag behind national, state and peer counties.
Year    National  State
2009-10 Â 78 Â Â Â Â Â 69
2010-11 Â 79 Â Â Â Â Â 70.6
2011-12Â Â Â 80Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 74.5
2012-13Â Â Â 81Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 75.6
2013-14Â Â Â 82Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 76.1
——————Escambia    Marion    Lake    Sarasota    St.Lucie
Enrollment   40,753         42,107   41,794    41,395      39,477
2009-10Â Â Â Â Â Â 55.4 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 62.8 Â Â Â Â Â Â 70.9 Â Â Â Â 71.4 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 63.7
2010-11Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 57.7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 69.8Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 75.4Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 70.7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 65.4
2011-12 Â Â Â Â Â Â 62.1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 75.2 Â Â Â Â Â Â 78.2Â Â Â Â Â Â 78 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 70.6
2012-13 Â Â Â Â Â Â 64.2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 76.7Â Â Â Â Â Â 78.3Â Â Â Â Â Â 76.2 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 67.7
2013-14 Â Â Â Â Â Â 66.1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 77.9 Â Â Â Â Â Â 76.6 Â Â Â Â Â 81.2 Â Â Â Â Â Â 73.2
The biggest contributors to the increase in graduation rates are the improvements in rates for white students and those not classified as solely black. In 2010, 63.4 percent of the white students graduated. In 2014, that rate improved to 74.6 percent. The other students not classified as solely black jumped from 61.6 percent to 75.6 percent.
The graduation rates for black students went from 44.4 percent to 49.8 percent – meaning that half of the African-American students still aren’t graduating on time. The state graduation rate for black students is 64.7 percent.
Improving the academic performance of our black students is clearly the key to improving the overall district. Closing schools in their neighborhoods has not made a significant difference.
