Middle Georgia districts, state make gains in graduation rates. See the numbers.

Georgia’s class of 2025 graduation rate has reached an all-time high of 87.2%, marking the highest rate since the state adopted its current calculation method in 2011, the Georgia Department of Education announced Monday. Districts across central Georgia contributed to the high gains, with several Middle Georgia school systems reporting improvements from last year and, in some cases, setting new records. A total of 134 Georgia school districts recorded rates at or above 90%, and 60 districts surpassed 95%

. The Bibb County School District saw its highest graduation rate on record in the past decade, with the class of 2025 achieving 88.97%. School officials said this achievement marks the third consecutive year Bibb County has exceeded the state average.

Most high schools in the district posted gains, with three schools — Central (96.51%), Southwest (92.90%) and Rutland (90.43%) — reporting rates above 90%. The most notable achievement comes from Southwest High, where the graduation rate was marked at 39.10% in 2012, the district said. “We continue to see progress in our graduation rate, and this is due in large part to the collective hard work throughout our district,” said Superintendent Dan A. Sims in a statement. “This graduation rate reflects the work of the entire Pre-K – 12 spectrum. We are especially grateful for what happens at the high school level, which includes opportunities for students to learn, recover, and gain credits toward graduation.” In Crawford County Schools, the graduation rate soared to 92.97%, an increase of approximately 12 percentage points over last year. “Our Eagles continue to excel,” the district said in a statement. “We are proud of our students’ hard work and dedication.”

At Mary Persons High School in Monroe County, this year’s four-year graduation cohort rate rose slightly to 93.84% and marks the sixth straight year above 90% for the district.

Monroe County Schools Superintendent Jim Finch said the accomplishment indicates a strong focus on teaching and learning in an academic climate of high expectations.

“We specifically want to graduate students on time with the skills they need to be successful. We appreciate our students, teachers, staff, administrators, and community for helping us reach this graduation rate,” Finch said. “Moving forward, our mission is simple: learn, grow, succeed. We will continue to chase this mission until we graduate 100% of our students.”

State officials attributed this year’s gains to efforts at the district and school level to prepare students for college, career, or military service.

“Seeing this increase in a single year is a strong indicator of the work Georgia’s schools and districts are doing to keep students engaged in their education and prepare them for successful lives after high school,” state Superintendent Richard Woods said. “While more work remains to be done, more Georgia students are graduating than ever before – and they’re doing so prepared to pursue futures full of opportunity.”

The graduation rate is calculated as the number of students who earn a regular high school diploma within four years, divided by the adjusted cohort for that class.

Georgia’s statewide graduation rate has increased nearly 20 percentage points since 2011, according to state data.