Georgia’s High School Graduation Rate Increases by 2 Percentage Points

MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651-7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org
Dorie Turner Nolt, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 656-5594, dnolt@gadoe.org
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May 21, 2013 – Georgia’s most recent public high school graduation rate rose more than two percentage points over the previous year – from 67.4 percent in 2011 to 69.7 percent in 2012.

This is the second year Georgia has calculated the graduation rate using a new formula - known as the adjusted cohort rate - as required by the U.S. Department of Education. Based on an estimated cohort graduation rate of 58.6 percent in 2009, the rate of students getting diplomas has risen by 11 percentage points since 2009. The cohort rate was applied to 2009’s graduating class to help create a trend line, even though the state used a different calculation then.

“I am very pleased that our graduation rate continues to increase, no matter how it is calculated,” said State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge. "While our graduation rate is still far too low and we have much progress to be made, we are moving in the right direction. In order to encourage more students to stay in school, we must make high school more relevant. Through our Career Pathways initiative, I am excited that students will see a clearer connection between what they learn in the classroom and how it applies to what they want to do after graduation.”

The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate defines the cohort based on when a student first becomes a freshman. The rate is calculated using the number of students who graduate within four years and includes adjustments for student transfers. In contrast, Georgia’s former graduation rate calculation defined the cohort upon graduation, which may have included students who took more than four years to graduate from high school.

The U.S. Department of Education requires all 50 states to use the cohort rate to calculate graduates.

See 2012 state and district graduation rates: 2012 4 Year Cohort Graduation Rate.pdf