As graduation rates rise across the state, Gilmer High School ranks among the best.
The Georgia Department of Education released graduation rates for all districts Oct. 8. Gilmer High’s four-year graduation rose from 92.9 percent last year to 98.4 percent in 2024.
That figure ranks 10th in the state and No. 1 among the 13 high schools in the North Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency (NGRESA), which is comprised of Cherokee, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield districts.
“We’re very proud of their progress. It’s really a testament to the quality of the programs we have at the high school and the quality of our staff,” said superintendent Dr. Brian Ridley. “We’re working really hard to keep kids in school and make sure we know where they are when they leave.
“We make sure when they do leave us, they get into another program, (whether it be) a home school program, Mountain Education or an online program. We’re following up with those kids so if they do decide to make a different choice as far as their education, they get somewhere. That’s what’s really important, that kids finish school. Graduation rate isn’t our only indicator of quality, but it is one of our measures of success.”
Some Gilmer High’s closest performing NGRESA peers include Murray County High (97.7), Creekview (97.2) and Woodstock (96.3) while both River Ridge and Sequoyah check in at 95.3. Pickens (91.8), Cherokee High (87.7) and Whitfield County’s Phoenix High (78.6) rank among the worst in NGRESA.
Statewide, the four-year graduation rate rose to 85.4, up from 84.4 in 2023. Its 2024 mark is an all-time high since the state began using the adjusted cohort calculation first required by federal law in 2011.
For the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate, the state takes the number of students who graduate in four years with a regular diploma and divides it by the number of students who form the adjusted cohort for the graduation class.
From the beginning of ninth grade, students who are entering that grade form a cohort that is subsequently adjusted by adding any students who transfer into the cohort during the next three years and subtracting any students who transfer out.
A total of 115 Georgia school districts recorded graduation rates at or above 90 percent, and 44 districts recorded rates at or above 95. Georgia’s statewide graduation rate has increased by 18 percentage points since 2011.