DeKalb County schools’ four-year graduation rate slips, DeKalb Early College Academy, DeKalb School of the Arts and Arabia Mountain earn above 95%

DEKALB COUNTY, GA– The DeKalb County School District’s (DCSD) four-year graduation rate for the Class of 2023 is 75.77%, based on data from the Georgia Department of Education released today. The overall graduation rate decreased by 0.42% over the prior year. In comparison, the State of Georgia had a slight increase in graduation rate, rising from 84.06% to 84.36%, an increase of 0.3%.

Two  DCSD high schools earned a perfect graduation rate of 100%: DeKalb Early College Academy (2nd year in a row) and DeKalb School of the Arts. In addition, these two schools and Arabia Mountain High School have earned graduation rates above 95 percent for the sixth consecutive year. 

“The 2023 student graduation cohort were ninth graders during the start of the pandemic. Despite the chaos of school closures, forced virtual learning, and adjusting to a new school environment, I am encouraged to see only a slight decline in our four-year graduation rate,” said Superintendent Devon Q. Horton. “I thank our teachers, leaders, and school staff for banding together to support our students and their communities as they navigated several difficult years.”

The 2023 school year marks the fifth consecutive annual gain for the Students with Disability subgroup. Over the past six years, the rate has increased by 18.38%.

The most notable school gains occurred at Tapestry Public Charter School, demonstrating a double-digit increase of more than 12%, resulting in a 93.75% four-year graduation rate.

Four high schools demonstrated gains of more than 4% over the prior school year:

·       DeKalb Alternative High School (+5.41%)- Second year in a row

·       Tucker High School (+4.81%)

·       Martin Luther King, Jr. High School (+4.66%)

·       Elizabeth Andrews High School (+4.38%)
Martin Luther King, Jr. High School and Tucker High School earned their highest four-year graduation rates

Additional graduation rate increases were observed at the following seven  high schools:

·       Southwest DeKalb High School (+2.89%)

·       Stone Mountain High School (+2.46%)

·       Towers High School (+1.89%)

·       Stephenson High School (+1.47%)

·       DeKalb School of the Arts (+1.30%)

·       Cross Keys High School (+1.29%)

·       Redan High School (+1.25%)

“Of the 25  schools that received a 4-year graduation rate, 13 schools maintained or increased their rate over the prior year (52%). Although we can celebrate those schools with gains, we recognize that most of our schools have graduation rates below 90%,” Horton said.

“We must complete a deeper analysis of our longitudinal cohort withdrawal codes, graduation cohort operating procedures, routine instructional strategies, and supplemental student supports to determine our next steps for disrupting current practices to increase our district and school-level graduation rates.”