Florida Sees Record Breaking High School Graduation Rates as Educators Warn of Grade Inflation Danger

A Florida math teacher believes schools, districts, and governments all want to “look good” by giving as many students diplomas as they can.

Members of the Florida Department of Education and Education Commissioner Manny Diaz preside over the Aug. 23, 2023, meeting in Naples, Florida. (Patricia Tolson/The Epoch Times).

Florida’s high school graduation rate climbed to an all-time high of 88 percent in the 2022–2023 school year, during a period that some educators fear is rampant grade inflation.

The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) tracked a 1.1 percent increase from the previous recording-breaking year in 2018–2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, when graduating classes were exempt from certain statewide standardized testing requirements.