Despite coronavirus complications that affected the second half of the last school year, Fayette County’s four-year high school 2020 graduation rate increased 1.1% over 2019. The county’s seniors had an overall rate of 91.3%, the fourth highest in the state among school systems of similar size and the third highest in metro Atlanta.

Starr’s Mill had the highest graduation rate in Fayette, graduating 96.3% of its seniors compared to 93.8% last year. Whitewater posted the second highest at 95.2%, up 1.5% from 2019. Graduation rates at McIntosh, Sandy Creek and Fayette County stayed essentially the same at 93.83%, 84.44% and 83.69%, respectively, with minor drops of one tenth of a percent or less.

Overall, Fayette was among 105 Georgia school systems with graduation rates of 90% or higher; the state average was 83.8%.