High school graduation rates in central GA set record, beat state average. See results

Georgia’s college-bound class of 2024 set another historic-high graduation rate for the state, rising to 85.4% from last year’s 84.4%, according to the Georgia Department of Education.

Most central Georgia school districts saw a slight drop in graduation rates, yet outperformed the state average.

The Bibb County School District exceeded the state average for the second year in a row, with a graduation rate of 87.04%, the district said Tuesday. Despite a mere 0.3 percentage point dip from last year’s all-time high rate, the district’s graduation rate has remained stable.

“We continue to be proud of the incredible work going on in our high schools to graduate such a large percentage of our students on time. While this rate is a testament to this hard work, we will continue to look for ways to better support all students in graduating on time and ready for the future,” BCSD Superintendent Dr. Dan A. Sims said in a press release.

Three out of seven high schools in the district secured graduation rates higher than 90%, with Central High School taking the lead at 96.45%. Rutland High School reported the biggest gain, soaring from 85.5% last year to 93.37%.

Northeast High School had the lowest graduation rate, with a 13-point drop from last year’s 88.62% to 75.69%.

Bibb County schools’ overall graduation rate increased about 35 percentage points in the past decade, up from an overall graduation rate of 52.3% in 2012, school officials said.

Meanwhile, Houston County School District Superintendent Mark Scott announced on Tuesday that the district’s graduation rate had reached 91.2%, the best in its history.

“We set a goal of 90%, and we are extremely proud to announce that we exceeded that goal,” Scott said in a press release. “Our district’s graduation rate has increased 14.4% since 2014. This achievement is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our students, teachers, staff, and families.”

Three out of five high schools in the district secured graduation rates higher than 90%, with Houston County High School leading at 96%, followed by Veterans High School with 95%.

Take a look at how graduation rates for this year compare across other school systems in the Middle Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency.

• Crawford County: 86.6%, down 6.1 points from last year
• Houston County: 91.2%, up 3.6 points from last year
• Jasper County: 93.6%, up 0.6 points from last year
• Jones County: 85.6%, down 2.1 points from last year
• Monroe County: 93.1%; down 1.2 points from last year. Mary Pearsons High School outperformed the state average for the fifth consecutive year.
• Peach County: 93.4%, up 4.1 points from last year
• Twiggs County: 80.7%; down 10.8 points from last year

A total of 115 Georgia school districts recorded graduation rates at or above 90%, and 44 districts recorded rates at or above 95%. Georgia’s statewide graduation rate has increased by 18 percentage points since 2011, according to the state’s education department.

Why rates may decrease

While issues such as chronic student absenteeism, poverty, and mental health problems can have a significant impact on overall graduation rates, Crawford County School District Superintendent Anthony Aikens attributed the district’s reduced four-year cohort graduation rate to inadequate record-keeping.

“We do have some students that are a couple of credits short, and they can’t get them during summer school, so they have to go through another year to graduate,” Aikens said. “But the main issue is we don’t have information in our system that shows why a student withdrew from a school, so it counts against us as a drop out.”

Aikens said administration is working on improving its students’ records, and he’s looking forward to opportunities to boost the district’s graduation rate.