Washington Post: Citrus’s High Schools are AGAIN among America’s Most Challenging High Schools 2018

Citrus County high schools tops again!

While this past year’s report was delayed the news was all the more sweet.  Today Citrus County Schools Director of Research and Accountability, Amy Crowell shared that all three of our high schools in Citrus County were once again recognized by the Washington Post as “America’s Most Challenging High Schools”.

Of the 22,000 high schools in the US, near 2,500 are recognized.  The Challenge Index is the oldest high school ranking system in the country, beginning in 1998 in both Newsweek and The Washington Post. It is the only list that does not rely on test scores and compares private and public schools. It ranks high schools by a simple ratio: the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests given at a school each year, divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year.

Lecanto High School– Ranked no. 567, which is in the top 3% of America’s 22,000 participating high schools

Citrus High School– Ranked no. 1605, which is in the top 7% of America’s 22,000 participating high schools

Crystal River High School– Ranked no. 1827, which is in the top 8% of America’s 22,000 participating high schools

The complete 2018 list can be found at: https://jaymathewschallengeindex.com

These types of continual achievements do not just happen. They take leadership, dedicated educators, and willing, motived and hardworking students. Well done to all our students and staff for all their hard work! Well done to all our students and staff for all their hard work!

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This week the Florida Department of Education released the graduation rates for the 2017-2018 school year. We were so excited to learn that Citrus’s rate rose to an all-time high of 84.1 percent.

In addition, each of our high schools improved in overall grad rate, grad rate of students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged, and at-risk. We also narrowed the graduation gender gap and gaps among races.

Citrus High School increased to 93.5% (a 7.4% improvement), Lecanto High School increased to 92.6% (also a 7.4% improvement), and Crystal River High School improved to 90% (the largest with a 9.3% improvement).

The district’s graduation rate of 84.1 is a 6.5% improvement from last year.  The district’s graduation rate includes the three high schools of CHS, CRHS, and LHS, as well as CREST, MYcroSchool, Renaissance, and the Cypress Creek Juvenile Detention Facility. 

These graduation rates are based on the Florida Uniform Graduation rate with among other requirements includes only students who graduate in four years with a regular high school diploma divided by the number of students in the graduating class. It does not include all the successes from all our District’s completion programs.  For example, these rates do not include students that received a G.E.D., 5^th year graduates, Special Diploma, or Certificate of Completion (which replaced Special Diploma in 2015).  If those rates were included the graduation rate would be even higher at every school.

I am pleased with these successes but hope in the future to further increase these successes with improved high school career graduation pathway options currently not available in Florida statute, which now require specific state assessments to be passed as part of high school graduation requirements.  Our local Florida State Representative Dr. Ralph Massullo also shares a passion for CTE/workforce pathways in our schools along with Florida State Senator Wilton Simpson and many in Florida Legislature.  It is my prayer in the very near future that we improve and broaden the Career and Technical Education (vocational/workforce) pathway to graduation options in Florida statute to provide schools with needed flexibility for students so that we can increases these programs and pathways for some of our high school students.

In the meantime, congratulation Citrus County students and staff on an outstanding job!

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Keep faith… “Kids First”!

Yesterday was the opening School Board meeting for the new Board term. As the new chairman, I shared the board’s theme for the coming term.  As School Board Constitutional officers, we are charged with one of the greatest responsibilities— that is to care for our kids’academic education, and we do not take that responsibility lightly

In Citrus County our students, schools and leadership has had a consistent history of being most successful.  As I begin my ninth year as a School board Member, I am so grateful to serve with each and every one of our board members, our superintendent Sam Himmel, the executive leadership team, and all of our teachers and staff.

We have a lot of changes potentially coming in public education this coming year. People are nervous, concerned, and want to be hopeful.  A new governor, a new Commissioner of Education, a new Speaker of the State House and the new president in the State Senate, just to name a few. There are people that are excited, and there are people that are concerned, wondering and worrying as to the direction of public education in the State of Florida.

As we work with those in the State, let us diligently work together on the things we agree on, collaborate on things we can work together on, and listen to one another on the things we disagree on.  Because we must be successful for our kids and their future.

What gives me hope, is that on our School Board and in our district, we have a consistent expectation to always focus on one vital and important thing, “what is best for Kids”.

While sometimes we might have different views about how to achieve our goals, from our Board, to our Superintendent, the executive team, school administrators, to our classroom teachers, and support staff, we are continually focused on the same positive end results, OUR KIDS!

I have shared small gift with our Board Members, and staff, something they might wear as they make decisions, visit schools and speak with others in the community.  It is a little lapel pins that simply says, “KIDS FIRST”—because that I believe is what this School District does always!

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