The Liberty County School System’s high-school graduation rate has increased since last year, rising from 72.3 percent in 2013 to 75.8 percent in 2014. The graduation rate at Bradwell Institute held steady at 72.4 percent, while the graduation rate at Liberty County High School made a statistically significant gain of 8.7 percentage points, rising to 81.6 percent.
“Our graduation rate is a reflection of the good work being done by students, staff and parents beginning in our pre-K all the way through high school,” LCSS Chief Information Officer Dr. Patti Crane said. “Our gain of 3.5 percentage points speaks to the strong partnership between families and schools across our county. Georgia calculates the graduation rate using a formula known as the four-year adjusted cohort rate. This formula is required by the U.S. Department of Education. The cohort is based on when a student first becomes a freshman. It is calculated using the number of students who graduate within four years and includes adjustments for student transfers.”
In a recent press release from the Georgia Department of Education, State Superintendent of Schools John Barge said, “While all states now calculate the graduation rate using the same formula, what each state requires to earn a diploma varies dramatically across the country. Georgia has one of the highest sets of standards in the country for students, so our graduation rate typically doesn’t look very good when compared to the nation, but it’s simply not an apples-to-apples comparison. What we’re ultimately concerned about in Georgia is that more and more students earn a high-school diploma, and we’re seeing that happen each year.”
Liberty County’s goal is to see students graduate with a high-quality education, according to Crane, who added that the system wants students to have the knowledge and skills they need to be successful as they transition to college, a career or the military.
“The gains we see today are something to celebrate,” LCSS Superintendent Dr. Valya S. Lee said. “However, when one student does not graduate from high school, it is one student too many. We must continue investing in our schools, eliminating barriers to graduation and pursuing excellence so every child succeeds in today’s global market.”