Students seeking diplomas have a number of choices in the Hillsborough County school district, which is why parents and students, as the high school years approach and advance, have a lot to discuss at open house and conference meetings with educators and guidance counselors.
In a late July interview, Christina ‘Christie’ Raburn, the district’s executive director of high school programs, reviewed the types of degrees offered, giving numbers for the class of 2023. The numbers for the 2024 school year had not yet been finalized, as summer graduations had only recently been completed.
As for the class of 2023, Hillsborough County school officials awarded 13,766 diplomas, which amounted to an 86.2 percent graduation rate, Raburn said.
Options leading to standard diplomas include successful completion of the 24-credit option (including required and elective courses), the 18-credit Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) option (with fewer required electives), the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) curriculum and the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. Also in play, the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Pathway.
Students in the 2023 graduating class from Jule F. Sumner High School in Balm/Riverview were the first to earn the AICE diploma, and 79 students did just that. AICE prepares students for college at a more intensive pace than traditional coursework. AICE courses now are available at all traditional high schools, as the schools either award the diploma or are set to in the near future.
Meanwhile, the IB program, a rigorous, preuniversity program for the highly motivated student, is offered through magnet school studies at Alonso, Hillsborough, King, Robinson and Strawberry Crest high schools. In all, 356 students earned the IB diploma in 2023.
Obtaining either the IB or Cambridge AICE diploma, with the required community service hours, provides eligibility for Bright Futures scholarships without meeting the SAT/ACT score requirements.
Moreover, 591 graduating seniors in 2023 earned the General Educational Development (GED) credential, also known as a high school equivalency diploma. Typically earned by adult students, students as young as 16 can opt to earn the GED, Raburn said.
“Students definitely have options, and that’s a good thing,” Raburn said. “Come to school for open house or some other type of parent and community meeting and ask all those questions and see what’s available at your school, as it pertains to diploma choices, requirements and expectations. If a parent or student doesn’t attend, they might miss out on useful information.”
Visit www.hillsboroughschools.org to learn more.
