More than 88 percent of Pasco County’s high school seniors successfully made it to graduation day last year.

That news, released by the Florida Department of Education today, has Pasco County school officials celebrating. Pasco’s Florida Graduation Rate number of 88.5 percent beats the state’s 81.2 percent average handily. The county also beat state graduation averages, according to the National Governors Association, which rated the county at 85.5 percent, which tops the state’s overall average of 80.1 percent based on that calculation scale.

“Pasco is fortunate to have an incredible team of talented educators working each and every day to ensure that all children are prepared for success in the 21^st century,” said Pasco’s school Superintendent Heather Fiorentino in a media release. “Graduation is one the most fundamental milestones in that preparation.”

 The county has five high schools that boast a graduation rate of 90 percent or higher. They are:

• Wiregrass Ranch (92.1%)
• J.W. Mitchell (90.6%) 
• Pasco (90.6%)
• Wesley Chapel (90.6%)
• River Ridge (90.2%)

Gulf has a graduation rate of 83 percent and Ridgewood falls in at 88.3 percent, according to the county.

Dropout rates for the county were also released today. During the 2010-11 school year, Gulf had a dropout rate of 0.3 percent. Ridgewood had a 0.8 percent rate, Mitchell 0.6 and River Ridge 0.2 percent.

Fiorentino credits a team approach for the district’s success with increased graduation rates. Most schools within the county did see their rates improve from 2009-10 to 2010-11.

“Our teams, led by administrators and supported by Supervisor Ramon Suarez, review data of at-risk students on a daily basis and work closely with students and their families to provide intervention and support services at the first sign of difficulty,” Fiorentino said. “Their aggressive, proactive approach is having a profound impact on the lives of students and is reflected in our district’s performance.”