Education
Education

Georgia still ranks near bottom for high school graduation rate

By Ty Tagami
Dec 15, 2015

Georgia’s public high schools ranked sixth from the bottom among states, judged on their ability to graduate students on time.

The new report on the “four-year adjusted cohort rate” is for the 2013-14 school year.

Georgia's overall rate was 72.5 percent, ahead of Oregon, Alaska, Nevada, New Mexico and the District of Columbia, according to the data assembled by the National Center for Education Statistics.

The state ranked 10th from the bottom with its black student graduation rate of 65.2 percent and sixth from the bottom with its white grad rate of 79.7 percent. The rate for students with disabilities, 36.5 percent, was third from the bottom and for “economically disadvantaged students, 62.5 percent, fourth from the bottom.

The U.S. Department of Education said the graduation rates nationally have reached a record high.

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.

Follow Ty Tagami on facebookFollow Ty Tagami on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Wade Roberts (center), a Decatur parent with children in three of the city schools, addresses concerns with the possibility of a K-2 school closing. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

Credit: Daniel Varnado/For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Some Decatur parents feel blindsided by school plans, few details

Aggravation brews over lack of specifics and what some see as poor communication.

Full circle: Sisters who were APS students now serve as APS principals

Sisters Kristy Reese and Kimberly Gibbs spent 12 years in Atlanta Public Schools and now educate others in the same system as school principals.

Atlanta parents, residents object to plans to close some schools

Due to lower enrollment and climbing costs, 16 school buildings would be repurposed under the plan, with several schools closing and their students rezoned for other schools.

The Latest

Kimberly Gibbs (left) and Kristy Reese pose for a portrait at L.O. Kimberly Elementary School, Thursday, Oct. 23, in Atlanta. Reese is principal of Kimberly Elementary School, while her sister, Kimberly Gibbs, is principal of Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Full circle: Sisters who were APS students now serve as APS principals

Some Decatur parents feel blindsided by school plans, few details

Long-range plan could significantly change Atlanta’s schools

Featured

Rose Scott signals as Closer Look goes on air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray / AJC file)

Credit: Ben Gray

Donor leaves WABE $3 million, largest individual gift in station’s history

An Atlanta resident has bequeathed WABE a $3 million donation, the largest one-time individual donation in the nonprofit media operation’s 76-year history.

Usher sues business partners over failed Buckhead restaurant plan

Atlanta singer Usher wants his money back after loaning $1.7 million to music producer Bryan-Michael Cox and others to buy a Buckhead restaurant property for $6.3 million.

Braves’ original ‘Freeze’ is retired. But you probably still can’t catch him.

As the Atlanta Braves prepare to find their next sprinting mascot, Nigel Talton is enjoying his new career coaching high school athletes at McEachern High.