Local schools get updated on increase in graduation rates

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Georgia state and local schools received updated results of their increase in high-school graduation rates on Oct. 6.

Local counties, Richmond, Columbia and McDuffie counties have made a notable impact on Georgia’s overall graduation rate this year.

Georgia’s high-school graduation rate increased to 84.1% in 2022. These local high-schools have greatly impacted Georgia’s graduation success.

The Georgia Department of Education reported an overall graduation rate of 84.1 percent, a .4 percent increase for the Class of 2022 statewide.

Richmond County

Richmond County School System students excelled in Advanced Placement studies last yaer returning the second highest pass rate on AP Exams since 2017.

More students took AP classes and exams last year and a record number of students scored 3 or higher on the exam to receive college credit. The school system had 2,148 students take AP exams in 2021 and 97 achieved AP Scholar Designation for their performance on the AP Exams.

Richmond County superintendent, Dr. Kenneth Bradshaw, states, “Our students are taking advantage of the opportunity to earn college credits early. The Advanced Placement curriculum challenges students to work hard and advance their learning while reinforcing strong academic skills that will help them be successful in their future college and career choices.”

“We use data to help us understand where our students are and what they need to support and advance their learning,” said Dr. Kenneth Bradshaw, “The pandemic impacted some of the achievement gains our students were making, and we are committed to continuing working with our families and the community to provide students the resources and instruction they need to be college and career ready upon their graduation.”

Columbia County

The Columbia County school district continues to see encouraging success, with more than 90% of high school students from the Class of 2022, earning their high school diplomas.

The overall district graduation rate for 2022 is 90.4%, which is more than a six percent higher average than the state.

Columbia County superintendent, Dr. Steve Flynt, stated, “As we celebrate this outstanding accomplishment, we will continue to set the bar high with the expectation that 100% of students in the Columbia County School District graduate with their high school diplomas, and that all are successfully prepared for the future.”

“Congratulations to the Class of 2022, and a special thanks to the parents of these graduates and for the hard work and dedication of our employees across all levels who have supported and encouraged them along the way.” Dr. Flynt continued.

Class of 2022 Graduation Percentages

• Evans- 87.9
• Greenbrier- 96.8
• Grovetown- 88
• Harlem- 84.6
• Lakeside- 93.9
• District- 90.4
• Georgia- 84.1

McDuffie County schools graduation hits the highest level in a decade with the Class of 2022. This year’s 85.84 percent graduation rate represents an increase of 2.58 percent over the class of 2021.

McDuffie County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Mychele Rhodes, shares, “We are incredibly pleased to see our graduation rate increase to the highest it has been since the inception of the College and Career Ready Performance Index accountability system in 2012,” “It’s not just the numbers we are proud of, though. This increase represents more students exiting our system, ready to contribute to our community positively. This is also the product of much hard work from our dedicated staff from Pre-K through 12th grade.”

The increases are a result of several initiatives. The first of these is offering high school courses to middle school students in English/language arts, math, science, social studies, health, and physical education; and fine arts as well as Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE).

The number of students taking high school courses in middle school has more than doubled in the last three years. The opportunity to obtain high school credit early provides students more flexibility in their schedules to pursue dual enrollment and Advanced Placement courses at Thomson High School.

Georgia State

Georgia’s graduation rate has increased by 14.4 percentage points since 2012.

Superintendent Richard Woods states, “Teachers and students who persevered through the challenges of the last several years deserve credit for Georgia’s graduation rate increasing and other recent positive indicators, like Georgia students beating the SAT national average once again.”

“I commend Georgia’s educators and the class of 2022 and am confident we will continue to see improvements as we expand opportunities for students and invest in the academic recovery of our state.” Superintendent Woods shares. Superintendent Richard Woods states, “Teachers and students who persevered through the challenges of the last several years deserve credit for Georgia’s graduation rate increasing and other recent positive indicators, like Georgia students beating the SAT national average once again.”

A total of 107 Georgia school districts recorded graduation rates at or above 90%. In addition, 41 districts recorded rates at or above 95%.

Georgia calculates a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate as required by federal law. This rate is:

• The number of students who graduate in four years with a regular high school diploma, divided by
• The number of students who form the adjusted cohort for the graduating class

More students took AP classes and exams last year and a record number of students scored 3 or higher on the exam to receive college credit. The school system had 2,148 students take AP exams in 2021 and 97 achieved AP Scholar Designation for their performance on the AP Exams.

Georgia Graduation Rates – 2015 to 2022

• ‘22 - 84.1%
• ‘21 – 83.7%
• ‘20 – 83.8%
• ‘19 – 82.0%
• ‘18 – 81.6%
• ‘17 – 80.6%
• ‘16 – 79.4%
• ‘15 – 79.0%

To learn more about Georgia high-school graduation rates, go to the GA Department of Education.

Disclaimer on the use of Economically Disadvantaged subgroup data:

During the 2021-2022 school year, the United States Department of Agriculture provided School Food Authorities operating the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs waiver flexibilities to offer school meals to all students at no cost. As a result, the response rate for Free and Reduced Meal Applications may show a decrease in submissions resulting in a lower rate of economically-identified students in areas that utilize school meal applications for this purpose. Thus, the Economically Disadvantaged subgroup may not be comparable to previous years.

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