Since 2014, Acceleration Academies has partnered with school districts nationwide to help thousands of young adults stymied by the traditional high school setting overcome real-life obstacles and earn their high school diploma.
When St. Lucie Public Schools (SLPS) first shared their district’s unique challenges with us, we immediately recognized the potential to drive meaningful improvements in student outcomes and foster long-term success for the district. At the time, St. Lucie Public Schools grappled with a serious dropout dilemma. Today, the district boasts a sustained graduation rate of 94%.
In the 2010-11 school year, SLPS faced a staggering graduation rate of just 65%. Factors such as the need to work during the traditional school day, teen parenthood, incarceration, poverty and mental health challenges contributed to a gap in student success. It was clear — the district needed a scalable intervention that could meet the needs of at-risk students while improving overall academic outcomes.
In response to these challenges, St. Lucie Public Schools implemented a multi-tiered approach, centered around three core tenets:
Acceleration Academies is proud to have been a part of the SLPS story.
Through a combination of in-person and online learning experiences, students who struggled in the traditional high school setting have the flexibility to work on courses on a flexible schedule, allowing them to master content and build academic competencies more effectively.
The Acceleration Academies model also emphasizes the importance of social-emotional support and mentorship, which provides students with the necessary resources to stay motivated and engaged as they work toward graduation.
The results of the partnership between St. Lucie Public Schools and Acceleration Academies are notable. Over the course of the intervention, the district experienced a measurable increase in graduation rates. Today, the district maintains a 94% graduation rate — and it is now one of only three Florida districts to have graduated 90% or more of its students for eight consecutive years.
These results suggest that the flexible learning pathways and comprehensive support systems we implemented played a crucial role in helping students overcome the obstacles they faced within traditional educational frameworks.
The success of this partnership between Acceleration Academies and St. Lucie Public Schools underscores the potential of flexible learning pathways and personalized support in addressing the unique academic and socio-emotional needs of students. By providing students with more control over their learning pace and offering consistent support, educators can foster an environment that encourages both academic success and personal growth.
This case study offers valuable insights into how flexible, student-centered approaches can be effectively integrated into larger educational systems to promote student achievement.
To learn more about the strategies employed and their impact on St. Lucie Public Schools, download the full case study. This comprehensive document explores the intervention in detail, offering key insights into the implementation and outcomes of personalized learning models in improving student success.
Download the Full Case Study →
At Acceleration Academies, we are dedicated to applying research-based methodologies to help school districts like St. Lucie Public Schools improve educational outcomes. Our partnership with St. Lucie Public Schools exemplifies the power of flexible educational pathways in fostering student success and improving graduation rates. If you’d like to learn more about how Acceleration Academies can support your district, we invite you to reach out to start the conversation.