LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — Lehigh Senior High School has achieved the county's highest graduation rate increase, jumping from 89.2% to 96.5%, with students like Isabella Gallo representing the success of new early intervention programs.
Watch Fort Myers Community Correspondent Miyoshi Price's report:
Gallo never thought she would make it to graduation. The senior struggled with reading requirements for years, taking the state test nine times from freshman year through junior year before finally passing.
"I didn't believe it. I was just in shock. I went running to my reading teacher, my everybody, I let everybody know," Gallo said about the moment she learned she passed the test.
Several schools showed remarkable improvement, with Lehigh Senior High School increasing from 89.2% to 96.5% and Dunbar High School rising from 85% to 90.5%, demonstrating that focused support and dedicated staff can dramatically impact student outcomes.
Principal Darya Grote credits early intervention and targeted support for the dramatic improvement. In her third year leading the school, Grote has implemented new tracking systems and reading interventions that catch struggling students before their senior year with the help of the district and her teaching staff. She says its collaboration.
"We started looking at those kids who needed help in their junior year. So where we started this year, with, I believe, at the end of last year, there were 252 juniors at the time that still needed a math score," Grote said.
The school now uses a comprehensive data tracking system to monitor student progress. Current juniors who needed to meet English requirements dropped from 253 at the beginning of the year to just 80 as of now. For math requirements, the number of students fell from approximately 150 to only 17.
"We look at their 24 credits, we look at their GPA, and then we look at their testing scores, because now they need all three in order to graduate," Grote said.
As a Title I school, Lehigh Senior High receives additional funding that allows for extra resources, including reading coaches, peer collaborative teachers, and academic support staff. These resources have been crucial in providing individualized attention to students like Gallo.
"They actually, you know, they give you that support. They make you feel that you can achieve your goal. They don't give up on you," Gallo said about her teachers.
The school's approach focuses on building a supportive culture where every teacher takes responsibility for student success. Grote emphasizes that all staff members are reading teachers and special education teachers, regardless of their specific subject area.
"We are one mission, one vision, one school, one family," Grote said.
For Gallo, the support extended beyond academics. Sports served as additional motivation to stay on track academically.
"That was mainly my biggest inspiration when I realized, you know, it's not just, oh, I get to just graduate. I get to, you know, play sports, I get to go to prom, I get to go to homecoming," Gallo said.
The transformation has been dramatic for Gallo, who expected her senior year to be filled with makeup classes. Instead, she now has three PE classes and is eligible for senior exemptions.
"If you really like to put your mind to it, you can get so much done in a year," Gallo said.
After graduation, Gallo plans to attend Southwest Florida Academy to pursue fire rescue training and become a firefighter for the city of Fort Myers.
Her advice to other struggling students reflects the resilience that helped her succeed: "Don't give up, don't push things aside, because that's what I did a lot, and I regret it a lot."
The success at Lehigh Senior High School demonstrates how early intervention, dedicated staff, and comprehensive support systems can help students overcome academic challenges and achieve their graduation goals.
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