S. Florida graduation rates reach record level

South Florida public schools are passing a key test as the rate of students graduating within four years hit a record last school year.

Palm Beach County schools graduated about 82 percent of its high school seniors compared with 77 percent just five years ago. MiamiDade County awarded diplomas to about 80 percent of its seniors, up from 76 percent. And in Broward County, the graduation rate grew to almost 79 percent from about 76 percent.

The Palm Beach County School District aims to reach a graduation rate of 90 percent by 2021. Fifteen of its schools are already there or have surpassed the mark. That includes Boca Raton Community High where about nine out of every 10 seniors graduated and Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. School of the Arts where everyone graduated. Others are getting close. Palm Beach Gardens High School’s graduation rate rose from 77.5 percent in 2012 to almost 88 percent last school year, said principal Larry Clawson.

A graduation coach there works with every student as soon as they enter high school to make sure they are on track to finish credits and get the help they need to take standardized tests — a common graduation roadblock for students who are behind in reading levels.

“These kids that have been reading below grade level their entire life ... in many times they feel defeated,” Clawson said.

Palm Beach Gardens didn’t have a graduation coach when Clawson came to the school in 2009, he said.

In addition, the school has stepped up test preparation, offering “boot camps” for students looking to conquer the ACT or SATs.

“The biggest piece is making sure you have those relationships with students and making them understand the importance of pursuing a high school diploma and that they’re capable of doing that,” he said.

Schools statewide have been putting an increased emphasis on graduation in recent years, after the state made it part of the criteria used to determine their letter grades. School leaders say they’re doing a better job of tracking student progress to determine which students need the most help finishing school.

Miami-Dade, for example, uses software that identifies struggling students and places them in programs that improve their literacy skills. The county also added an eighth period to about 20 traditionally low-performing high schools, officials said.

The strides for some schools are big. Just 71 percent of students at Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School graduated after four years in 2012 but last year almost 90 percent of them did.

In Broward, South Plantation High saw one of the largest spikes in graduation, jumping from almost 78 percent in 2012 to almost 94 percent last year.

Hollywood Hills and Boyd Anderson high schools experienced similar leaps.

Valerie Wanza, chief performance