East County high schools excel in graduation rates, school grades

Not only are students of East County schools graduating, but they’re also attending grade "A" institutions, a recent study of the 2013-2014 school year shows.

The Manatee County School District released a Florida Department of Education study Dec. 18 that showed Braden River and Lakewood Ranch high schools earned “A” grades for the third consecutive year.

Schools’ grades are determined by students’ performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), graduation rate and college preparedness, among other factors.

The two East County high schools are also among the district’s “eight traditional high schools,” which exceeded the state’s graduation average.

Data shows 95% of Lakewood Ranch High students graduated last school year. Braden River High graduated 93% of its students last year.

The state graduation average is 76.1%.

Superintendent Rick Mills sees the high averages as a testament to the work the district has done in and out of the classroom, such as implementing new technology in classrooms and providing lessons in-line with the Florida State Standards.

"The results show that the initiatives we put in place in our traditional high schools are working," Mills said in a press release.

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].