Georgia's public high school on-time graduation rate reached 88.5% for the last school year, the Georgia Department of Education announced Monday. This marks more than a percentage point increase from the previous year's 87.2% statewide “four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate.” This federal method of calculation requires schools to count all students who enter their class year, whether in ninth grade or transferring in later. Students can only be subtracted from the count if they transfer out and their re-enrollment at another school is confirmed.
Since this calculation method was mandated in 2011, the graduation rate has seen a nearly nonstop rise from its initial 67.4%. The only exception was the class of 2021, whose junior and senior years were affected by COVID-19 disruptions, causing the rate to dip a tenth of a percentage point to 83.7%. Despite this slight setback, the state has consistently moved toward a 90% statewide graduation rate.
While the state is still inching toward that 90% mark overall, a significant majority of individual school districts have already surpassed it. Of the 180 city and county districts across Georgia, 141 reported a graduation rate at or above 90%. Notably, four districts – Ware County, Warren County, Chickamauga City, and Trion City – graduated every student in their classes. Among this group, only Ware County had a graduating class larger than 100 seniors, with 318 students.
In metro Atlanta, where class sizes are typically larger, several districts also exceeded 90%. The city systems of Atlanta, Decatur, and Marietta, as well as the county systems for Cobb and Fulton, all reported strong performance. Decatur City Schools led these districts with an impressive 96.7% graduation rate. Fulton County Schools, the largest in this group with 7,718 students in its graduating class, achieved a 93.4% rate. Fulton Superintendent Mike Looney attributed this success to hard work.
State School Superintendent Richard Woods credited the rising rate to students recognizing the value of a diploma. Woods noted that the state has broadened diploma options over the years, including school-to-work “pathways” such as the accelerated career diploma. In a statement, Woods called the achievement “a testament to our shared efforts” to ensure Georgia students are connected to future opportunities.
However, not all districts met high benchmarks. Several state specialty schools issued diplomas to fewer than a third of their graduating class. Jenkins County, one county school district, reported a 65% graduation rate. Additionally, three dozen other city and county districts, including large metro Atlanta systems like Clayton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett counties with thousands of seniors, had rates in the 80s.
