Atlanta graduation rate climbs to highest level

Atlanta Public Schools announced it has achieved an all-time high with its graduation rate.

Driving the news: Data released Thursday by the Georgia Department of Education shows the graduation rate for the class of 2022 increased to 84% from 83.1% in 2021.

• APS’ rate is now .1 percentage point from the statewide average, the system said.
• The system also said the number of students who graduated in 2022 was 2,691, up from 2,557.

Zoom in: APS reports the graduation rate for Black students — 82.2% — reached a record high in 2022, but the rates for white (95.4%) and Hispanic (80%) students were lower than they were in 2021. Their rates remain higher than 2019, however.

• While the graduation rate for students with disabilities (72.2%) was a drop from 2021, APS said it had the highest number of these students graduating in 2022.
• The graduation rate for English language learners also dropped to 76.1% in 2022 from 76.8% in 2021.

What they're saying: Superintendent Lisa Herring said in a statement that while the district has "a lot of work to do" to close the achievement gap among students, its overall graduation rate is notable because more students graduated when they were mostly learning remotely.

• "It shows that our students, schools, and staff can achieve strong outcomes even amid adversity," she said. "This is truly a proud moment for our district."

Zoom out: Graduation rates for metro Atlanta school districts are Cherokee: 92.3%; Clayton: 79.7%; Cobb: 87.4%; DeKalb: 76.2%; Douglas: 88.2%; Fayette: 89.8%; Forsyth: 96.4%; Fulton: 89.3%; Gwinnett: 83.2%; Henry: 86.8%; and Rockdale: 81.2%.

• The statewide graduation rate for 2022 is 84.1%, up slightly from 83.7%, the Georgia Department of Education said yesterday.