Education
Education

Georgia graduation rates rise slightly

Chemistry teacher Fred Okoh, top center, looks over the work of sophomore students in his classroom at Arabia Mountain High School in this AJC file photo. Once again, Arabia Mountain High has one of the highest four-year graduation rates in DeKalb County.

Credit: JASON GETZ / AJC FILE

Credit: JASON GETZ / AJC FILE

Chemistry teacher Fred Okoh, top center, looks over the work of sophomore students in his classroom at Arabia Mountain High School in this AJC file photo. Once again, Arabia Mountain High has one of the highest four-year graduation rates in DeKalb County.
By Ty Tagami
Oct 30, 2014

Georgia’s public high school graduation rate rose last year, but not by much.

The 72.5 percent four-year graduation rate for the class of 2014 was up less than a percentage point from the prior year. It is a continuation of annual — but slowing — increases since 2011, when the federal government developed the new way of measuring graduation.

» SEARCHABLE DATABASE: Georgia's graduation rates

The four-year rate counts students who finish high school within the allotted time, and it forces schools to track students who move out of the district to ensure they got diplomas.

Georgia hasn’t fared so well under the new measure, consistently ranking near the bottom in the country through 2012. Nationwide numbers were not readily available for more recent comparisons.

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About the Author

Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.

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