Fayette County schools customarily enjoy very high graduation rates and those rates rose for some again in 2013. The graduation rate last school year was 87.3 percent compared to the state average of 71.5 percent.
“Graduation rates for the class of 2013 released by the Georgia Dept. of Education show that Fayette’s four-year graduation rate is up two percentage points over last year, from 85.53 percent in 2012 to 87.3 percent in 2013,” said school system spokesperson Melinda Berry-Dreisbach.
Fayette’s graduation rate looks even better when compared to the state average of 71.5 percent for 2013.
“The school system has the second highest graduation rate in the state among large school systems,” Berry-Dreisbach said.
McIntosh High, Starr’s Mill High and Fayette County High schools all increased their graduation rates with Starr’s Mill having the highest jump from 87 percent in 2012 to 93 percent in 2013. Graduation rates for McIntosh High and Fayette County High are 92 percent and 78 percent, respectively. McIntosh had a one percentage point increase while Fayette County High had a three percentage point increase over last year.
Whitewater High remained the same at 92 percent and Sandy Creek High decreased two percentage points from 84 percent in 2012 to 82 percent in 2013.
Berry-Dreisbach said graduation rates from the past three years were calculated using the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate, the formula that the U.S. Dept. of Education requires all 50 states to use.
The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate defines the cohort based on when a student first becomes a freshman. The rate is calculated using the number of students who graduate within four years and includes adjustments for student transfers.
Graduation rates in descending order by school are as follows:
Starr’s Mill — 93 percent.
Whitewater — 92 percent.
McIntosh — 92 percent.
Sandy Creek — 82 percent.
Fayette County High — 78 percent.
