Douglas County School System 2015 Four Year Graduation Rate Exceeds State

The 2015 Four Year Graduation Rate for the Douglas County School System’s Class of 2015 is 88.2, the highest rate achieved in the district in many years. It represents a 12.6 point increase above the 2014 score of 75.6 and exceeds the current Georgia score of 78.8 for 2015. Douglas County has seen a steady increase in the graduation rate using the adjusted cohort model and saw a significant increase this year. The U.S. Department of Education mandated that Georgia report the graduation rate using the adjusted cohort rate during the last five years.

Increases in the graduation rate at Douglas County School System high schools from 2014 to 2015 are as follows:

• Alexander High School: 87.1 to 89.7
• Chapel Hill High School: 79.8 to 89.6
• Douglas County High School: 75.1 to 87
• Lithia Springs High School: 62.9 to 87.7 (24.8% growth, largest increase among DCSS schools)
• New Manchester High School: 75.6 to 89.3

“The hard work of our students, teachers, principals, and parents, along with our Student Achievement and Leadership department, is evident with our continued increase in the graduation rate. We are certainly pleased by the continued success of our students,” said Douglas County School Superintendent Dr. Gordon Pritz.

Douglas County’s graduation rate is higher than a number of metro Atlanta school districts including: Carroll, Carrollton City, Cherokee, Cobb, Coweta, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Haralson, Henry, Paulding, and Rockdale.

Chief Academic Officer Pam Nail added, “There are many variables that play a role in the significant increase in the graduation rate in Douglas County. As we continue to celebrate the achievements of our students and teachers, we will continue to look for ways to improve. Having students graduate in four years prepared for either college or a career is very important to us.

“Some of the variables that led to the increase in our scores include the significant gain in the graduation rate for our students with disabilities, growing from 33% to 68%. Douglas County has added programs in recent years that allow for personalized learning of each student. These programs include: magnet school programs, the Performance Learning Center, the Douglas County Virtual Academy, the Douglas County College and Career Institute, and Project Graduation. Within these schools and programs we have support structures in place to ensure the success of our students including graduation coaches and counselors. School improvement positions have been added to focus on academic areas as well as school accountability. Lithia Springs High School, the school that demonstrated the most growth, benefited from a SIG (School Improvement Grant),” Ms. Nail stated.

“In Douglas County we are excited about the endless possibilities that our students have to ensure that they will graduate and continue to be life-long learners and productive citizens,” stated Dr. Pritz. “This is the third piece of strong academic improvement news in as many months; we saw the second straight year of improvement in ACT scores and the third straight year of improvement in SAT scores.

Governor Nathan Deal signed House Bill 91 on March 30, 2015. This Bill eliminated the requirement to pass the graduation tests to earn a high school diploma. He recently stated, “In today’s highly competitive workforce, a high school diploma is necessary to succeed in a growing and changing economy. Our state benefits as more qualified Georgians graduate high school and have the opportunity to pursue post-secondary credentials and careers. While there is more work to be done, I am encouraged by our state’s progress as we continue to work together to provide Georgia students with a high quality education.”