Royal Palm Beach High reports enrollment and program gains, launches youth civic leadership partnership with village

Royal Palm Beach Community High School Principal Dr. Robinson told the Education Advisory Board on Oct. 6 that the high school is maintaining enrollment, expanding program access during the school day and launching a village-run Youth Civic Leadership program that will send 37 students to meetings with village officials.

Robinson said the school has 2,260 students this year, with 569 ninth-graders, 529 10th-graders, 567 juniors and 595 seniors. The school employs 141 instructional staff with two vacancies (an 11th–12th grade English position and a 9–12 science position). Robinson said 20% of teachers have 0–3 years’ experience, 16% have 4–7 years and 64% have seven years or more.

Robinson summarized academic programs and performance: the campus offers 35 college courses, 54 honors classes, 24 career-technical education courses, 31 performing-arts courses and 11 academic electives, and continues specialized programs including ACE in Cambridge, IB, DECA, a medical sciences program, an HVAC program supported by an Education Foundation grant, and a STEM academy. Dual-enrollment courses that were previously offered after school are now offered during the instructional day in two sections, Robinson said.

On accountability and school grading, Robinson provided the school’s point totals for recent years: 349 points in 2023 (a year with no high-school learning gains), 555 points in 2024 and 592 points in 2025, which earned Royal Palm Beach High a B. She said the state’s sliding scale now requires 650 points to earn an A, meaning the school needs 58 more points to reach that grade. Robinson reported gains in several cells last year but said ELA learning gains dipped by three points.

Robinson outlined teacher- and school-set goals for the current year: algebra learning gains targeted at 55%, learning gains for the lowest 25% targeted at 65%, biology at 70% and U.S. history at 80%. She said the school projects a graduation rate near 97% (the presentation used a conservative estimate of 96%) and reported acceleration (industry certifications/advanced coursework) rising from about 59% to about 72% pending the state’s final release.

To reach those targets, Robinson described interventions already in place: targeted tutoring and pullouts for at-risk and “bubble” students that began earlier this year; smaller ninth- and 10th-grade reading classes to provide more one-on-one support; expanded professional development at faculty meetings; use of a classroom engagement tool (referred to in the presentation as Commigo) and a Commigo challenge that Robinson said about 600 students had logged into; and efforts to increase access to accelerated coursework.

Robinson highlighted out-of-classroom programs and campus improvements: Navy JROTC had grown to about 131 cadets and is seeking a second instructor; the school purchased new medical training equipment for its medical academy; the campus added 75-inch digital signage panels to central locations for announcements and student recognition; and a student-services “Starbucks area” provides quiet workspace and laptop charging during lunch. Robinson credited the village and individuals including Mike Goldstein for the digital-signage equipment.

Robinson introduced the inaugural Youth Civic Leadership program, a partnership between the Village of Royal Palm Beach and the high school. She said 37 students will participate, selecting six meetings to attend during the school year from a menu that includes in-person and virtual sessions. Village Manager Ray Liggins and Mayor Jeff Emera were described as supporting the program; Robinson said the village departments will present how projects are developed and how the village operates. Robinson turned the meeting over to students in the program to introduce themselves.

Student participants spoke briefly. Alexander Orbic said, “I would first like to start off with saying that I'm very honored to have this opportunity with the village of Royal Palm Beach and Royal Palm Beach Community High School. I joined this program to get involved with my local community and to get experience in the fields of law and government.” Mackenzie Williams said she joined “to get more involved in my community” and to learn the village’s history and operations. Shanice Dennis said, “When someone says, do you wanna be a leader? Sometimes it feels a little overwhelming. But at the end of the day, some you just have to step up and do it.”

Board members and attendees congratulated the school on its B grade and the youth program. Board member Marsha Andrews and others said they would help promote village scholarships at the school; a board member suggested displaying scholarship information on the school or village marquee. Robinson said the school will begin earlier, hands-on scholarship support this year—calling eligible seniors, reviewing essays and guiding applicants through deadlines to increase submissions.

Procedural actions taken during the meeting included approval of the Education Advisory Board minutes for Sept. 8, 2025 (motion moved and seconded; the chair announced the motion passes) and a motion to adjourn (moved, seconded; the chair announced the meeting adjourned).