Q&A – Where Does the Palm Beach County School District Rank In Florida?
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Today’s Entry: Hi Brian- Our property taxes are high but I'm at least glad to hear that the schools we’re paying for seem to be doing a good job with graduation rates. I have a couple of follow up questions. Where does PBC rank within the state? Also, how does that grad rate compare across the country?
Bottom Line: The news this week that Florida set another graduation rate record was the latest in a long string of successes in recent years that culminated in US News and World Report recognizing Florida’s education system as being the best in the country last year. With the recent news that graduation rates have reached new highs statewide you’ve got to like Florida’s chances of remaining on top when this year’s rankings come out in May. And with the positive news about the state’s performance came great stories at the local level as well. Specifically, Palm Beach County’s graduation rate of 90.5% was 2.5% higher than the state average, a new non-pandemic record for the school district, and the highest graduation rate of any large school district. In fact, PBC’s grad rate was only half of one percent away from reaching the pandemic high graduation rate of 91% - when graduation testing was suspended. As for where the district stands within the state, regardless of the size of the school district...
- Palm Beach County’s graduation rate is the 16th highest, out of the 67 school districts.
- The highest graduation rate in Florida is in the Wakulla School District with a 97.6% graduation rate
- The lowest graduation rate in the state is in Jefferson County with a 66.7% grad rate
There’s also another great storyline within the listening area. Indian River County’s 95.6% graduation rate is the 3rd highest statewide and the highest in the School District’s history – including higher than during the pandemic years without the high school graduation tests in place. The improvement in graduation rates wasn’t universal. Several school districts, including Martin County, saw lower graduation rates year-over-year. All in there were 29 school districts with declining graduation rates. That makes the context of the state’s overall performance along with Palm Beach and especially Indian River County’s performances that much more impressive.
Nationally, The US News & World Report #1 ranking is a little misleading as it pertains to K-12 education because Florida’s on top due to the state’s higher education system being far and away the top system in the country. Florida ranked #14 in pre-K-12 education last year. That obviously leaves some room for grade school improvement when we’re comparing where Florida stands nationally. In terms of where Palm Beach County’s school district fits in the national picture...
Palm Beach County’s school district is the 10th largest in the country. Palm Beach County’s graduation rate is the highest of the ten largest school districts in the country. So, the county’s success is impressive in a national context with comparable school districts as well. For a bit of additional context Niche provides ratings for school districts. The Palm Beach County School District currently has a B+ rating. That’s derived from these grades by category:
- Diversity: A+
- College Prep: A
- Sports: A
- Clubs & Activities: A-
- Academics: B+
- Administration: B
- Resources & Facilities: B-
- Food: C+
- Teachers: C
This helps show where the district is excelling but also where the biggest gains can be made from here. What’s interesting is that students seem to be outperforming the faculty as both administrative staff and teacher performance is below the district’s overall average. In any event the news is the best it’s been in the Palm Beaches and in Indian River County, which by the way is an A- ranked school district. We’ll take the good news and hopefully there’s more on the way. With universal school choice now in play I’m optimistic.