Newton County School System’s (NCSS) four-year, cohort graduation rates continued to top the statewide average in 2021, officials said today.
In addition, all three high schools — Alcovy, Eastside and Newton — also had rates above the state average, according to data released by the Georgia Department of Education, a news release stated.
The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate is defined as the group of students who enter the school system as freshmen and graduate within four years, with adjustments made for students who transfer out of the system within the four-year period.
Graduation rates for the schools, district, and state include:
2021 Graduation Rates
SCHOOL/GROUP 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Alcovy High 82% 84% 85% 89% 85%
Eastside High 90% 91% 87% 89% 91%
Newton High 82% 87% 88% 91% 91%
NCSS 83% 87% 87% 90% 89%
Georgia 81% 82% 82% 84% 84%
“I am incredibly proud of our students, staff, and school leaders for their hard work, dedication and commitment to realizing our school system vision that all students will be well-rounded and prepared for the future,” said Samantha Fuhrey, superintendent of NCSS.
“We have worked diligently to equip our students for life beyond high school and while we will not be satisfied until 100 percent of our seniors graduate, our continuous improvement journey is demonstrated by our district surpassing the state’s graduation rate year after year," Fuhrey said.
“I’d like to thank our students’ families for their involvement in their children’s education; we know that family engagement is critical to student success.”
Georgia’s high-school graduation rate did not change significantly from 2020 to 2021 – the 2021 rate is 83.7% compared to 83.8% in 2020.
Georgia’s graduation rate has increased by 14 percentage points since 2012.
A total of 102 Georgia school districts and 223 schools recorded graduation rates at or above 90%. Thirty-seven districts and 98 schools recorded rates at or above 95%.
“Given the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am pleased to see Georgia’s graduation rate holding steady,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said.
“Combined with the class of 2021’s increases in ACT and SAT scores, this is an encouraging indicator about the work being done in public schools. Teachers and students have continued to succeed in the face of challenging circumstances.
"Of course, there is still work to do — we will continue our efforts to ensure every student sees the relevance of their high-school education and receives a diploma that directly prepares them for their future.”
For more information on graduation rates, contact Allison Jordan, NCSS director of Research, Evaluation and Accountability at jordan.allison@newton.k12.ga.us.
