Georgia public schools are seeing higher graduation rates, but the state is slightly behind the national average, according to new data released by the U.S. Department of Education.
The National Center for Education Statistics, a division that analyzes data, shows that Georgia ranks toward the bottom at 80.6 percent.
This is based on data collected for the center's 2016-17 report, which was released in January.
While state's rate sits behind the national average, it is a sign of improvement for Georgia. The center's previous report showed the state had a 79.4 percent graduation rate.
Thousands of Georgia students who failed classes can make them up online to help them graduate. But are the courses demanding enough? Why a researcher says it's time for serious debate on credit recovery, today on Channel 2 Action News at 5 p.m.
The NCES and states across the country have implemented an "adjusted cohort graduation rate", or ACGR, to count graduates when it became the federal standard in 2012.
It is calculated based on the number of public school students who earned their diplomas within four years of starting their freshmen year. The rate makes adjustments for student transfers.
The Georgia Department of Education released its 2018 graduation percentage based on this rate back in September. Georgia public schools saw an increase from the 2017 graduation rate to a new record.
[RELATED: Georgia high school graduation rate rises to all-time high]
Based on the NCES data released in January, here's how Georgia ranks compared to the other states and the District of Columbia.
NATIONAL AVERAGE: 84.6%
- Iowa 91
- New Jersey 90.5
- Tennessee 89.8
- Kentucky 89.7
- Texas 89.7
- West Virginia 89.4
- Alabama 89.3
- Nebraska 89.1
- Vermont 89.1
- New Hampshire 88.9
- Wisconsin 88.6
- Massachusetts 88.3
- Missouri 88.3
- Arkansas 88
- Connecticut 87.9
- Maryland 87.7
- North Dakota 87.2
- Illinois 87
- Delaware 86.9
- Maine 86.9
- Virginia 86.9
- North Carolina 86.6
- Pennsylvania 86.6
- Kansas 86.5
- Wyoming 86.2
- Utah 86
- Montana 85.8
- Ohio 84.2
- Rhode Island 84.1
- Indiana 83.8
- South Dakota 83.7
- South Carolina 83.6
- Mississippi 83
- California 82.7
- Hawaii 82.7
- Minnesota 82.7
- Oklahoma 82.6
- Florida 82.3
- New York 81.8
- Nevada 80.9
- Georgia 80.6
- Michigan 80.2
- Idaho 79.7
- Washington 79.4
- Colorado 79.1
- Alaska 78.2
- Louisiana 78.1
- Arizona 78
- Oregon 76.7
- District of Columbia 73.2
- New Mexico 71.1
Cox Media Group
