Whitewater tops Fayette graduation rates

Whitewater High School’s 97.6 percent graduation rate was the highest in Fayette County for 2016, helping to make Fayette’s overall 91.2 percent rate the second highest in metro Atlanta.

McIntosh High’s graduation rate was 93.4, followed by Starr’s Mill at 91.4 percent, Fayette County High at 87.3 percent, and Sandy Creek at 84.8. percent. On Monday, Assistant Superintendent of Achievement Terry Oatts gave the Board of Education an overview of Fayette’s graduation rates since 2011, when the district average was 78.2 percent.

Superintendent Joseph Barrow Jr. said the system will continue to focus “very heavily” on graduation rates because of the greater job opportunities for students with diplomas.