Another record graduation rate at Sarasota High School

During last year's graduation ceremony in 2025, Principal Ryan Chase announced a record graduation rate for Sarasota High School. 

However, after taking to the podium this year, he announced that the last year's 96.5% rate had been exceeded, making 2026 the year with the school's highest-ever graduation rate.

Hundreds of students headed to the school's Charlie Cleland Stadium at Ihrig Field as they prepared to step into the next chapter, on May 15.

Student speaker Eden Hurley reflected on students' growth over the course of their time at the school, recounting their initial arrival at Sarasota High.

"We were wandering around, clutching our schedules, pretending we knew where Building Four was," she said. "Classrooms felt miles apart. We did not know where we fit or who we would become, and now we know every hallway, every shortcut."

She gave students some pieces of advice for their time ahead, saying that most of all, they should not choose comfort over growth. 

"The impact of this school and these people does not end today. It continues in everything we do next," she said. 

However, some students will still have the chance to keep in touch with their past.

Daniel Sanchez and Anna Sofia have been best friends since pre-K. They will have the chance to continue their friendship as they both head to the University of South Florida.

She will be majoring in nursing, while he will be majoring in risk management and insurance, but they'll both still have the chance to spend time together.

"He copied me because I was going there — silly one," she said.