Stephens Co. Graduation Rate Drops in 2014

District level graduation rates are out from the Georgia Department of Education for 2014.

According to state figures, Stephens County High School had a graduation rate of 85.3 percent in 2014.

That is down from the 2013 graduation rate of 90.8 percent released last year by the state.

The state graduation rate average for 2014 is 72.5 percent.

This marks the third consecutive year that Georgia’s public high school graduation rate has increased, rising from 71.8 percent in 2013.

Also, Georgia Department of Education officials said the state’s graduation rate has risen a total of 5.1 percentage points since 2011.

This is the fourth year Georgia has calculated the graduation rate using a new formula – known as the adjusted cohort rate – now required by the U.S. Department of Education.

The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate is calculated using the number of students who graduate within four years and includes adjustments for student transfers.

That is compared to Georgia’s former graduation rate calculation, which may have included students who took more than four years to graduate.