HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS ACHIEVES RECORD-BREAKING GRADUATION RATE
Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) is excited to announce the district’s high school graduation rate for the 2024–2025 academic year is an impressive 90.9%, the highest in district history. This is an increase of 2.9 percentage points over the prior year and the highest graduation rate in district history.
Our district achievement gap continues to close, ensuring more students have access to opportunities. We are particularly proud of the significant increases among key student groups:
Black students: 6.6% increase
Hispanic students: 2.8% increase
Students with Disabilities (SWD): 4.8% increase
Students on Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL): 4.3% increase
English Language Learners (ELL): 3.2% increase
District leaders congratulate students and staff at the following high schools for obtaining the highest graduation rates in the district:
Tampa Bay Tech High School 99.1%
Newsome High School 98.6%
Plant High School 98.6%
Hillsborough Virtual School 98.5%
Alonso High School 98.0%
Sickles High School 97.5%
Steinbrenner High School 97.2%
Plant City High School97.2%
“We were able to see 910 more students than the previous school year walk the stage to earn their diploma,” said Superintendent Van Ayres. “This historic achievement reflects years of focused work—aligning resources, expanding academic programs, and strengthening support systems—to ensure students have every opportunity to succeed.”
The district has deployed several strategies to improve the graduation rates including:
Free testing opportunities and preparations for state assessments like SAT, ACT, CLT, PSAT, and FAST, Junior and Senior Academic Checks, Credit Recovery Programs, Quarterly Graduation Meetings with site-based teams to review student progress, GAP (Graduation Advancement Program) to help get students back on track to graduate and Summer Learning Programs.
The district continued its Graduation Task Force, a cross-divisional internal group of leaders who meet monthly, focused on individual student performance, support for students experiencing housing instability or homelessness, and an increase in parent communication to ensure families know and understand the graduation requirements.
For more information about Florida’s 2024-25 graduation rate, visit https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/data-sys/edu-info-accountability-services/pk-12-public-school-data-pubs-reports/students.stml?utm_source
FDOT District 7 Lane Closure Summary
Road work is scheduled for the following:
I-4 at Park Road (maintenance work)
Lane closures (eastbound): Thursday, January 22, from 9:00 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
I-4 at Park Road (maintenance work)
Lane closures (westbound): Friday, January 23, from 12:01 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.
SR 39 from Kilgore Road to Sparkman Road
Lane closures (northbound): 24 hours per day through Tuesday, February 10
SR 553 (Park Road) from US 92 (Baker Street) to north of I-4
Lane closures: Monday, January 19 through Friday, January 23, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m.
Trapnell Road Closing just east of SR 39 in Plant City
Beginning on Sunday, January 18, the Florida Department of Transportation’s contractor closed Trapnell Road just east of State Road 39 (James L. Redman Parkway) for approximately 21 days. During this closure, drivers must detour around the work zone using Sparkman Road and Jap Tucker Road to access Trapnell Road to the east of SR 39.
Drivers may experience traffic delays and congestion on nearby roads as crews build the new travel lanes at the intersection of SR 39 at Trapnell Road. Northbound/Southbound SR 39, along with Trapnell Road to the west of the intersection, will remain open to traffic during this phase of
construction.
Message boards and signage will assist drivers traveling through the area. Motorists are reminded to slow down, stay alert, and drive safely through the work zone. This project is replacing the asphalt pavement at the intersection of SR 39 and Trapnell Road with a concrete surface in Hillsborough County.
Local Preschool Hosts Literacy Week to Promote Early Reading and Literacy Through Technology
Next Jen’eration Kids Academy, a local early childhood education center serving children ages 6 weeks-11 yrs, will host Literacy Week: Read • Dream • Grow from January 26 to 30, to promote early literacy, family engagement, and access to literacy resources.
Children will participate in age-appropriate reading activities, classroom read-alouds, creative literacy projects, and experiences highlighting how technology can support early reading development.
Families will have the option to purchase children’s books by a local author affiliated with the school. All proceeds will support the preschool’s literacy-through-technology initiative. “Early exposure to reading builds confidence, curiosity, and a lifelong love of learning,” said Jenayssi Padgett, Author and director. “Literacy Week allows us to celebrate reading while giving families a meaningful way to support literacy access in our community.”
Literacy Week activities will take place during regular school hours, with family engagement opportunities during drop-off and pick-up times.
For more information about Literacy Week or Next Jen’eration Kids Academy, please contact Jen Padgett at admin@nextjka.com or (813) 707-0337.
SICKLE CELL UPDATE
In April 2025, PCO reported that Aliyah Reid, a five-year-old Plant City girl, was healed of sickle cell disease through a bone marrow transfusion from her 11-year-old brother, Alijah. Her parents reported Aliyah has been cleared by her doctors, and her follow-up treatments have been completed.
“Aliyah is thriving and fully healthy,” Narada Reid, her dad, said. “No more medication, and she is currently in kindergarten and enjoying life. To God be the glory for healing her from sickle cell.”
“To see such a beautiful milestone of our daughter finally in school living a child’s dream is an amazing experience,” her mom, Anterria Reid, added.
CLAY SHOOT
On January 10, Friends of the Plant City Police Department Foundation held its first annual Clay Shoot at Tenoroc Public Shooting Sports range in Lakeland. The entry fees were targeted to raise money for the Foundation to fund special equipment purchases, enhanced training, outreach programs, and officer safety. The morning brought out 120 shooters who competed for trophies and bragging rights. Teams were comprised of four shooters. Jarrett Scott Ford took first place in the team competition, the Plant City Police Department team took second, and Dawn Myers for Circuit Court Judge came in third. The Hillsborough Cattleman’s Association grilled steaks for lunch, and Lawton Farms handed out containers of strawberries for shooters to take home. Corporate Sponsors for the event were All Florida Mechanical and Consolidated Electrical Distributors. Central Drywall Contractors was the Chief Sponsor. The Foundation’s mission is to enhance financial support for Plant City’s law enforcement and build stronger relationships with the community.
