State: In 2 years, DeKalb graduation rate up 13 percent

DeKalb County Superintendent Steve Green visits with students on the first day of school on Aug. 10, 2015. AJC FILE PHOTO

DeKalb County Superintendent Steve Green visits with students on the first day of school on Aug. 10, 2015. AJC FILE PHOTO

DeKalb County school officials say programs implemented at schools — including one using transition specialists to keep tabs on students at risk of failing — are largely responsible for a graduation rate increase of more than 10 percentage points since 2013.

The Georgia Department of Education reported this morning that DeKalb County Schools saw its graduation rate rise 8.3 percentage points from 2014 to 2015, adding to the 2.4 percentage point increase from 2013 to 2014.

“We are headed in the right direction with improved graduation rates because of our laser focus on student achievement,” Superintendent Steve Green said. “Much more work needs and will be done to ensure our students are ready for career and college opportunities.”

Click here to see how DeKalb schools and others did.

Highlights include:

• Twenty-four of 25 high schools in DeKalb County saw graduation-rate increases since 2013.

• The DeKalb School for the Arts has a 100 percent graduation rate in 2015.

• Two schools have graduation rates of 90 percent or more: DeKalb Early College Academy (97.7) and Arabia Mountain (97.2).

• Four schools have graduation rates of 80 percent of more: Chamblee, Lakeside, Redan and Tucker.