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Georgia high school graduation rate rises to all-time high

ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia high schools are graduating seniors at a rate higher than ever, according to new data released by the Georgia Department of Education on Wednesday.

The state's graduation rate rose to 81.6 percent in 2018, a 1 percent increase over the 80.6 percent rate in 2017.

Atlanta Public Schools was among several metro Atlanta school districts that saw significant increases. The district posted a 79.9 percent graduation rate in 2018, its highest ever.

APS superintendent Dr. Meria J. Carstarphen told Channel 2's Wendy Corona the number shows how every student matters. But the superintendent also said there is still work to be done.

"It's not perfect. We're not taking a victory lap, but it was a lot of hard work in a very short period of time," she said.

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In 2012, states across the country implemented a formula called the "cohort" calculation to count graduates. The number for APS was 50.8 percent at the time, but now, the district has cut its gap with the rest of Georgia in half.

"We needed to just improve the quality of teaching and learning at the high school level across the board," Carstarphen told Channel 2.

Here are graduation rates for metro Atlanta school districts. The full report from GDOE can be found here.

  • Atlanta 79.9%
  • Clayton 71.7%
  • Cobb 85.2%
  • DeKalb 75%
  • Fulton 86.8%
  • Gwinnett 81.7%