DCSS Four-Year Graduation Rate Exceeds State Average

Georgia’s high school graduation rate for the Class of 2014 was released in the fall, indicating an increase for the third straight year.

The state graduation rate for 2013 was 71.8 and increased to 72.5 in 2014. The state target for 2014 was 75.6.

Scores in the Douglas County School System saw a 5.1 point increase above 2013, rising to 75.6.

Increases in the graduation rate at Douglas County School System high schools are as follows: Alexander High School: 83.1 to 87.1, Chapel Hill High School: 75.4 to 79.8, Douglas County High School: 65.2 to 75.1, Lithia Springs High School: 61.8 to 62.9, and New Manchester High School: 71.3 to 75.6. Douglas County High School showed the largest increase of 9.9 percentage points.

“Our principals, teachers, students, and parents, along with our Student Achievement and Leadership department are to be commended! This is a result of a lot of hard work by a lot of people,” said Douglas County School Superintendent Dr. Gordon Pritz.

Pam Nail, Associate Superintendent for Student Achievement and Leadership added, “We not only met the target as a school system but Alexander High and Chapel Hill High both exceeded the target, New Manchester High met the target, and Douglas County High was just shy of meeting the target. We celebrate our increases and achievements and will continue to look for ways to improve on this good news. Having students graduate in four years is important to us.”

State School Superintendent, Dr. John Barge said, “This is something to celebrate. When we see the graduation rate consistently trending upward and when we see a greater percentage of our students graduating from our public high schools, we are talking about individual students and individual dreams. We’re talking about students whose options and futures expanded when they obtained a high-school diploma. So we are celebrating their victories, and turning toward the future and the work necessary to make those dreams a reality for an even higher percentage of students.”

“With our ultimate goal for all of our students being able to graduate from high school to become productive citizens, improving our number of graduates is always a top priority. To see such a great increase in one year is a huge confirmation for all the hard work by our teachers, administrators and students taking place across the district,” concluded Dr. Pritz.

— From Douglas County School System Facebook