This year, Atlanta Public Schools (APS) is reporting the highest percentage of on-time graduates with an 84% graduation rate.
“We are thrilled about this outstanding achievement by scholars in the Class of 2022,” SuperintendentLisa Herring said in a media statement.
State graduation rates were released on Oct. 6 by the Georgia Department of Education.
The percentage of students who graduated in 2022 is higher than any other year since 2012, when the state adopted the cohort graduation rate as required by federal law.
“The fact that they, with the help of their teachers, counselors and school administrators, realized this historic accomplishment while spending the better part of two years teaching and learning in the virtual space is astonishing. It shows that our students, schools, and staff can achieve strong outcomes even amid adversity,” Herring continued. “This is truly a proud moment for our district.”
The 2022 graduation rate of 84% is 0.9% higher than the 2021 rate, and only 0.1% short of the state graduation rate of 84.1%. This is the closest APS has ever been to the state comparison.
“We know that we still have a lot of work to do to close the achievement gaps between some of our students,” said Herring. “We have begun the process of engaging our entire community and developing strategies to ensure that all the district’s elements – culture, systems, structures, resources, and stakeholders – are barrier-free. Additionally, with the implementation of our evidence-based APS 5 – Data, Curriculum and Instruction, Whole Child and Intervention, Personalized Learning, and Signature Programming – we believe all APS schools will continue to increase the achievement levels of all of our students.”
In the 2022 cohort, 2,691 students graduated from 16 APS.
Seven of those 16 schools achieved percentage-point gains compared to 2021, with the largest increase at Mays High School with a 13-percentage-point gain.
Six of the APS schools achieved graduation rates greater than 90%, including:
- Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy (100%)
- Drew Secondary (98.4%)
- BEST MS/HS (96.3%)
- Atlanta Classical Academy (96.1%)
- KIPP Collegiate (92.1%)
- Carver Early College (91.7%)
The 2022 cohort also boasts the highest graduation rates for Black students at 82.2%, and the highest number of students with disabilities to ever graduate in one cohort – 309 students.
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