Georgia hits record number of high school graduates, but students are still struggling

October 13th, 2023

Students walk wearing their caps and gowns. (Mel Evans/AP)

More high schoolers than ever graduated in Georgia last year.

According to the State Department of Education, 84.4% of the class of 2023 ended their year in caps and gowns last spring. This figure crept up from 84.1% for the class of 2022.

In Atlanta Public Schools (APS), those numbers went from 84.4% for the class of 2022 to 86.6% for the class of 2023.

These rates are an all-time high for both APS and the state overall.

“I’m incredibly proud of Georgia’s high-school seniors – and the teachers, leaders, and families who have supported them to produce these results,” said state school superintendent Richard Woods. “It’s important to remember that the positive news we’ve received lately – from this historic-high graduation rate to Georgia students beating the national average on the SAT – is more than just numbers.”

But graduation rates alone are a dangerous narrative for success, said Tiffany Fick, the Director for School Equality at the local nonprofit Equity in Education.

“[Students are] going to go to college, but when they get to college, they’re gonna be forced to take some remedial classes,” she said. “When students have to take those remedial classes, they’re more likely to drop out–they’re more likely to leave school with debt.”

Georgia ranks third in the nation in student loan debt per borrower. Collectively, the state’s residents owe about $70 billion dollars.

According to the 2022-23 Georgia Milestones, also released this month, only 42% of eighth graders were considered proficient or above in English Language Arts. In Mathematics, that share of proficient students drops to 36%.

Fink said that these numbers parallel the state of Atlanta public high schools and other metropolitan centers across the country; it’s mostly students of color who are struggling.

“When we promote students without them having the actual skills they need for the next level, we put them, we put their next set of teachers, we put everyone in a very tricky predicament,” she continued.

Still, state superintendent Richard Woods highlights the progress that has been made.

107 school districts across the state recorded graduation rates at or above 90%, and 43 districts recorded rates at or above 95%.

Georgia’s statewide graduation rate has also increased by about 15 percentage points since 2012.

“Every data point represents an actual student and new opportunities that have opened up for their future,” said Woods. “I’m confident we’ll continue to see positive results as we invest in academic recovery and building a student-centered educational system.”