State Graduation Rate Soars Above 80 Percent

The state of Georgia’s graduation rate rose to an all-time high of 80.8 percent in 2010 – an increase of two percentage points over last year, and more than 17 percentage points since 2003, when the graduation rate was 63.3 percent. Governor Sonny Perdue and State School Superintendent Brad Bryant announced the results October 26 while recognizing three schools throughout the state that saw their own graduation rates increase dramatically in recent years.

“There is nothing greater we can do for a young Georgian than encourage them to stay in school,” Governor Perdue said. “We did something no other state had even thought of – put a graduation coach in every middle and high school and focused their efforts on students at risk of dropping out. Even with our dramatic enrollment growth, 4,000 fewer students dropped out this year than in 2003.”

Governor Perdue set a goal of reaching the 80 percent rate by the time he left office. In 2003, 65,213 students received a high school diploma in Georgia. Last school year, 91,561 students graduated with a high school diploma, meaning 26,348 more students graduated with a full diploma this year than in 2003.

“Georgia’s children are our state’s most valuable resource and today’s announcement is a great testament to the efforts of parents and teachers who work tirelessly to ensure our students succeed,” said Lt. Governor Casey Cagle. “Together we can continue to provide the tools and flexibility they need to ensure every Georgia student has the opportunity to achieve and gain the skills they need to compete in the 21st Century global economy.”

“Improving the graduation rate is the top education priority in the state of Georgia,” said Superintendent Bryant. “Our high school principals, teachers and students should take a lot of pride in the fact that more students than ever are graduating in Georgia. This is a testament to a lot of collaboration and hard work by our teachers and students.”

Graduation Rate Rises for All Students

All groups of students saw significant increases in their graduation rate in 2010. Georgia’s African-American students had a graduation rate of 75.8 percent, up more than 23 percentage points from 2003. The state’s Hispanic students had a graduation rate of 77.6 percent, up more than 29 percentage points from 2003. And Georgia’s economically-disadvantaged students raised their graduation rate to 76 percentage in 2010, up more than 24 percentage points from 2003.

“The improvement in our graduation rate is happening across the board for all students in every subgroup,” Superintendent Bryant added. “We are making steady progress and giving more students than ever the tools they need to be successful after high school.”

Governor Perdue and Superintendent Bryant presented the three schools with $3,000 grants towards graduation improvement programs, a plaque and t-shirts for the seniors and faculty members, all made possible by AT&T. The three schools were selected for their improved graduation rates and academics, including progress on End of Course Tests and postsecondary enrollment.

Graduation and Drop-out Statistics

School Year   Drop out Rate    # of Dropouts   # of graduates receiving regular education diplomas
2009-2010      3.56%                18,543                 91,561
2008-2009      3.8%                  19,942                 88,003
2007-2008      3.6%                  18,960                 83,517
2006-2007      4.1%                  21,100                 75,240
2005-2006      4.7%                  23,377                 72,429
2004-2005      5.0%                  24,289                 67,547
2003-2004      5.1%                  23,627                 65,124
2002-2003      5.5%                  22,861                 65,213

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Statement of Governor Sonny Perdue Regarding the Release of this Year's Graduation Rate

Governor Sonny Perdue issued the following statement October 1 regarding the release of this year’s final graduation rate, which is up to 78.9 percent:

“During my first year in office in 2003, our graduation rate stood at just over 63 percent. Since then, our efforts have been focused on helping students finish high school. We created the innovative graduation coach program which identifies at-risk students and creates individualized completion plans. Our Work Ready initiative engages local communities by requiring improvement in the graduation rate in order to qualify as a Certified Work Ready Community. As a result, local leaders and businesses are getting more involved in their schools, ensuring their hometown has an educated, talented workforce. Thanks to the hard work of our teachers, graduation coaches, principals and community leaders, we have seen tremendous improvement in the graduation rate of more than 15 percent in just six years. We are now on the cusp of achieving a benchmark goal of an 80 percent graduation rate by next year, and with another year of hard work and dedication I know we can achieve what some believed was impossible.”

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FIinal AYP Report: Graduation Rate Rises to 78.9%

The state of Georgia's graduation rate rose to a high of 78.9 percent in 2009 -- an increase of three points over last year.

"A three-point jump in our graduation rate means that nearly 4,500 more students graduated with a full diploma this year than did last year," said State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. "Our high school principals, teachers and students should take a lot of pride in the fact that more students than ever are graduating in Georgia."

Since 2003, the state's graduation rate has risen more than 15 points from 63.3 percent to 78.9 percent.

"In a short period of time, we have increased by thousands the number of students who are graduating with a full diploma," Superintendent Cox said. "We still have a lot of work to do, but we are making steady progress every year."

The state's graduation rate was released as part of Georgia's final Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report. Preliminary AYP results were released in July. The final AYP report includes summer retest scores and summer graduates.

Highlights of the Final AYP report:

- One-hundred fifty (150) additional schools made AYP after summer retest scores and summer graduates were included. In total, 86 percent of Georgia's public schools made AYP in 2009, an increase of six percentage points from the final AYP report of 2008 (see list below).
- A total of 73 school districts had all schools make AYP in 2009, an increase of 25 districts from 2008 (see list below).
- Sixteen (16) additional schools came out of Needs Improvement (NI) status this year compared to initial AYP results released in July (see list below). That means a total of 74 schools shook the NI label in 2009. Of the 74 schools, 17 were in "state-directed" improvement, the highest consequence level in Georgia.

"It takes a lot of hard work and focus to come out of Needs Improvement, especially for schools that have been in NI for a long period of time," Superintendent Cox said. "Our school improvement team has worked closely with these schools and we know they have done the right things to improve student achievement today and for years to come."

AYP is the formula used to determine if schools are meeting expectations under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. It consists of three parts -- test participation, academic achievement and another statistic, called a "second indicator." The academic goals continue to rise every few years toward a goal of 100 percent proficiency for all students by 2014. This year, all of the academic goals remained the same as 2008, although the graduation rate bar went up.

All students at a school, as well as any qualifying subgroup of students, must meet goals in all three categories in order to "make AYP." Schools that do not make AYP for two consecutive years in the same subject are placed in "Needs Improvement" status and face escalating consequences. For more information on AYP, go to the Frequently Asked Questions about AYP.

Graduation Rate must be used as a "second indicator" for all high schools and the state of Georgia uses one of the federally-approved formulas for calculating the rate. Superintendent Cox said the graduation rate improvement is something to celebrate, but the hard work must continue.

"Improving the graduation rate is the top education priority in the state of Georgia," Superintendent Cox said. "I am proud of the progress we are making but we will not be satisfied until all Georgia students are graduating on-time with a meaningful diploma that prepares them for the 21st century."

To see Georgia's plan for improving the graduation rate, visit our Strategic Plan website.
In order to make AYP in 2009, a high school had to have a graduation rate of 75 percent or higher, up from 70 percent last year. If a school did not make that goal, they could use a "second look" which means:

- Having a graduation rate that averaged 75 percent or higher over the past three years OR
- Having a graduation rate of at least 55 percent the previous year (2008) and showing a 10 percent improvement in the rate this year.

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Regents Honor Guaranteed Tuition for Current Students; but End Guarantee for Incoming Freshmen

University System of Georgia (USG) students currently enrolled in the Board of Regents’ guaranteed tuition plan will see no change in their tuition this coming fall, but the regents voted today to end the tuition guarantee for incoming freshmen, as part of board approval of an overall package of tuition and fees.

Fall 2009 freshmen students will pay tuition at the same per-credit-hour rate charged last year, but will be subject to future tuition increases. USG students who enrolled prior to the start of the guaranteed tuition plan in fall 2006 or who come off the guarantee this fall also will pay the fall 2008 per-credit-hour rate.

The regents set the full-time tuition rate at 15 credit hours instead of the current 12 hours, meaning that for the first time, students not on the guarantee would pay the per-credit-hour rate for all classes taken up to 15 credit hours. Students on the guaranteed tuition plan, which began in fall 2006, will not be affected by this change.

All students, regardless of whether or not they have the tuition guarantee, will pay a mandatory institutional fee to help offset budget reductions.

“We will honor the commitments that already have been made to those students in the guaranteed tuition plan and freeze the per credit hour tuition rate for new students,” said USG Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. “We want to do as much as feasible to help our students in tough times this year, provide our institutions with budget flexibility in future years and help us address our reduced budget picture for Fiscal Year 2010.”

Students not on the guaranteed rates this fall will pay, per semester, $203 per credit hour at Georgia State University and the Medical College of Georgia, $130 per credit hour at the regional and state universities, $84 per credit hour at the state colleges and $77 per credit hour at the two-year colleges – the same rate as last year.

Also frozen for fall 2009 freshmen are tuition rates at Kennesaw State University, Georgia Southern University, University of West Georgia, and Valdosta State University at $134 per credit hour and at Georgia College & State University at $190 per credit hour and Southern Polytechnic State University at $146 per credit hour.

A new and different model will be effective at Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Georgia. Students who take six hours or less will pay a flat tuition of $1,800 per semester, and students taking in excess of six hours will pay a flat 15-hour tuition rate of $3,035. Students at these two institutions who are on the guarantee will not be affected by this change.

“The bulk of freshmen take more than 12 hours,” said Usha Ramachandran, vice chancellor for Fiscal Affairs for the USG. “Sixty two percent of freshmen take 13 or more credit hours – and that rises to 88 percent at UGA and Tech. The intent of the change to a flat tuition rate of 15 hours at UGA and Tech is to encourage students to take these credits and graduate sooner.”

The regents also approved a special institutional fee each semester of $100 at the research universities, as well as at Georgia Southern University, Valdosta State University, Georgia College and State University, Kennesaw State University, Southern Polytechnic State University, and University of West Georgia; $75 at the other state universities; and $50 at the state and two-year colleges.

The regents’ actions on tuition support the board’s approval today of a Fiscal Year 2010 budget of $2.17 billion, which includes federal stimulus funds of $92.6 million. The state appropriations include additions of $147.9 million and reductions of $275.5 million for a net reduction over the FY09 base budget of $127.7 million.

The additional funds include $79.4 million for increases in student enrollment. Also included is $65.3 million for institutional increases related to health insurance, retiree fringe benefits, annualization of partial year faculty and staff merit salary increases at the 35 institutions and for increased maintenance and operating costs for new facilities. The final $3.2 million is for other increases in employee salary and benefits.

The $65.3 million also includes $7.8 million for the continued expansion of medical education in the state. The new dollars will support the continuation of curriculum development and accreditation for the Medical College of Georgia’s campus in Athens, and residency expansion in Albany, Athens and Savannah.

“While the board’s basic priorities were preserved in the state appropriations, I remain deeply concerned about the challenges of meeting rising enrollment across the entire System with diminished resources,” said Davis.

The General Assembly approved $369 million in capital construction for the System including:
$60 million for major repair and rehabilitation of existing facilities on all 35 campuses;
$11.9 million for equipment for new facilities at Gordon College, Georgia State University, Southern Polytechnic State University, and the University of Georgia;
$192.8 million for new construction at College of Coastal Georgia, Darton College, East Georgia College, Fort Valley State University, Georgia Gwinnett College, Georgia Highlands College, Georgia Institute of Technology, Gainesville State College, Kennesaw State University, Middle Georgia College, Macon State College, North Georgia College & State University, the University of Georgia and the UGA Griffin campus;
$16.5 million for design funds for projects at Armstrong Atlantic State University, Clayton State University, Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia Southern University, Georgia Southwestern State University, Medical College of Georgia, and the University of West Georgia;
$27.6 million for new construction for 19 projects in the Georgia Public Library Services; and
$60 million for other projects in both the University System and for the Georgia Research Alliance.

Board action on the Fiscal Year 2010 budget and allocations as well as facilities construction is dependent upon final approval of the state budget and bond package by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

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