Georgia’s graduation rate is at an all-time high

The News: Georgia High Schools are graduating record numbers of seniors. The state department of education released the graduation rates today and Georgia’s graduation rate rose to 81.6 percent over last year’s 80.6 percent. All in all, 74 school districts had graduation rates at or above 90 percent.

The Trend: While a one point increase may not appear significant, this year’s increase is part of a larger trend that has seen Georgia’s graduation rate increase significantly since 2012. In 2012, the graduation rate was 69.7 percent. Between 2014 and 2015 the graduation rate saw its most significant increase when it went from 72.6 percent to 79.4 percent.

The Quote: State School Superintendent Richard Woods said he is confident these gains will continue. 

“From Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education to dual enrollment to the fine arts, there is an unprecedented emphasis on supporting the whole child and making sure every single student understands the relevance of what they’re learning. I’m confident we’ll continue to see these gains as long as we’re still expanding opportunities that keep students invested in their education,” Woods said in a statement.

Your School System: Here is how your local school system compared to the state average.

How are the rates calculated?: According to the Georgia Department of Education, graduation rates are calculated as follows:

Georgia calculates a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate as required by federal law. This rate is the number of students who graduate in four years with a regular high school diploma divided by the number of students who form the adjusted cohort for the graduating class. From the beginning of ninth grade, students who are entering that grade for the first time form a cohort that is subsequently “adjusted” by adding any students who transfer into the cohort during the next three years, and subtracting any students who transfer out.