Gains Reported In 7 of 8 Student Subgroups

DeKalb County School District’s (DCSD) four-year graduation rate for the Class of 2022 is 76.2, based on data from the Georgia Department of Education released today. The overall graduation rate increased by 0.8 over the prior year.

Likewise, seven (7) out of eight (8) district student subgroup rates (87.5%) increased over the prior school year:

  • The Asian/Pacific Islander subgroup increased by 3.5, from 81.6 to 85.1
  • The Black subgroup increased by 0.4, from 75.6 to 76.0
  • The Hispanic subgroup increased by 1.2, from 61.7 to 62.9
  • The White subgroup increased by 0.2, from 91.7 to 91.9
  • The Economically Disadvantaged subgroup increased by 3.6, from 70.3 to 73.9
  • The English Learner subgroup increased by 4.7, from 55.4 to 60.1
  • The Students with Disability subgroup increased by 2.5, from 57.8 to 60.3

The 2022 school year marks the fourth consecutive annual gain for the Asian/Pacific Islander, English Learners, and Students with Disability subgroups.

“As encouraged as I am by these increases in our graduation rates, I know that no one indicator can adequately define the academic achievement levels of our students or schools,” said Dr. Vasanne S. Tinsley, Interim Superintendent. “I also realize that these graduation results are the culmination of combined efforts of teachers and school staff at all grade levels preparing our students for success, so there are many who share in this good news.”

The most notable school gains occurred at DeKalb Alternative School, demonstrating double-digit increases of more than 10% in their 4-year graduation rate.

Two (2) high schools demonstrated gains of more than 5% over the prior school year, Miller Grove High School (+6.6) and Stone Mountain High School (+6.0).

Additional graduation rate increases were observed at the following nine (9) high schools:

  • Southwest DeKalb High School (+4.8)
  • Lithonia High School (+4.5)
  • Lakeside High School (+3.4)
  • Redan High School (+3.3)
  • Clarkston High School (+1.7)
  • DeKalb Early College Academy (+1.5)
  • Tucker High School (+1.3)
  • DeKalb School of the Arts (+1.2)
  • Arabia Mountain High School (+0.8)

Three (3) DCSD high schools have graduation rates above 95 percent for the fifth consecutive year:

  • DeKalb Early College Academy – 100.0 (Title I School)
  • Arabia Mountain High School – 99.6 (Title I School)
  • DeKalb School of the Arts – 98.7

In 2023, DCSD will continue implementing graduation standard operating procedures, including monthly monitoring of all school-level graduation cohorts, student grades, discipline, and attendance, and providing technical assistance to all Operation Graduation school leadership teams.

In Spring 2022, DCSD partnered with Graduation Alliance to support all high schools with graduation rates below 80%.

The partnership provides family outreach and connects students to the following:

  • Guidance on technical and teacher access
  • Encouragement and motivation to help students stay on track with their studies
  • Organization and study tips
  • Educational resources and exercises to help strengthen reading and math skills
  • Referrals to local nonprofit organizations that can provide social-emotional support

Furthermore, the district will sustain student access to credit recovery courses, dual enrollment, and virtual programs and continue initiatives that engage and support families to ensure student access to a high school diploma and post-secondary options.

“Our work continues. Keeping Students First, we will use this data to identify areas for improvement. We know that continuing to apply instructional strategies and providing social-emotional support will help every student reach their fullest potential. We must remain focused on our goal, the graduation of all DeKalb County School District students on time and prepared for their postsecondary endeavors. As educators, this goal must remain our priority.”