Fulton 2018 Graduation Rate Highest In Metro Atlanta (ICYMI)

FULTON COUNTY, GA — Data released this week by the Georgia Department of Education shows the Fulton County School System's graduation rate for the class of 2018 remains the highest among large metro Atlanta school district. The FCS rate for 2018 is 86.8 percent, which is unchanged from 2017. The system also notes that eight out of 19 high schools also increased their graduation rate from the previous year, the system said.

It also outpaces the state average, 81.6 percent, by 5.2 percent. Graduation rates for surrounding school systems include: Atlanta Public Schools at 79.9 percent; Cobb at 85.2 percent; DeKalb at 75 percent; Gwinnett at 81.7 percent.

"Graduation ceremonies are some of the proudest highlights of our year as we celebrate these events with students and their families," said Superintendent Jeff Rose, Ed.D. "We are pleased that more students than ever are reaching this goal on time. We know there is still work to do. Our goal is for students to graduate ready to pursue and succeed on their chosen paths. Therefore, we won’t be satisfied until every student holds a diploma in their hand. Graduation is a milestone, and we want our students prepared to be successful after they graduate."

Eleven high schools posted graduation rates of more than 90 percent: Alpharetta, 92.8 percent; Cambridge, 97.3 percent; Centennial, 91.7 percent; Chattahoochee, 95.4 percent; Hapeville Career Academy, 94.8 percent; Johns Creek, 97.1 percent; Milton, 96.7 percent; North Springs, 90.1 percent; Northview, 96.4 percent; Riverwood, 92.2 percent; and Westlake, 91.5 percent.

Three schools led the pack for the highest increases: Riverwood, 5.2 percent; Banneker, 4.8 percent; and Tri-Cities High School, 4.2 percent; Several South Fulton schools also saw improvement: Hapeville Career Academy at 2.3 percent; Westlake High School at .6 percent; and Skyview High School at .5 percent. In North Fulton, Independence High School (2.8 percent), Milton High School (2.2 percent) and Johns Creek High School (.6 percent) saw increases.

The four-year cohort graduation rates for Fulton County high schools are shown in the table below:

Fulton County Schools closely examines data to look for trends and to review how different groups of students fare compared to others. The English Language Learners and Hispanic subgroups of students increased from the previous year by 6.4 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. This is the fifth consecutive year that the English Language Learners subgroup has increased.

This is the eighth year the Georgia Department of Education has calculated the graduation rate using the adjusted cohort rate, which is required by the U.S. Department of Education. The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate defines the cohort based on when a student first becomes a freshman. It is calculated using the number of students who graduate within four years and includes adjustments for student transfers.

In contrast, Georgia’s former graduation rate calculation defined the cohort upon graduation, which may have included students who took more than four years to graduate.

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