The Habersham County School District has set a new record in graduation rates, climbing up to a 95 percent graduation rate this year– a 26.8 percent increase since 2011. Habersham Central High School and the Habersham Success Academy sit in the top five highest graduation rates in Northeast Georgia.
“The 2020 graduation rates indicate that real progress is being made in our school system,” Superintendent Matthew Cooper said in a press release. “These record graduation rates are a reflection of the quality work taking place in our elementary, middle, and high schools. It is important to realize that a graduation rate is more than just a number. An improved graduation rate means that more students have an opportunity to attain the ‘American Dream.'”
For the entire state of Georgia, the graduation average for 2020 sits at 83.8 percent. Habersham schools currently average 11.3 percent higher than the state average. HCHS is ranked with the 64th-highest graduation rate state-wide.
HCHS Principal Jonathan Stribling says he’s “very proud of the class of 2020, the team at Habersham Central, and our entire school system,” for the hard work they’ve put in to bring Habersham’s graduation rate up to its current average. This news comes on the tails of Habersham Central students receiving record-high SAT scores just over a month before.
“Higher graduation rates mean greater life chances for our boys and girls here in Habersham County,” Cooper said. “Graduation is the ultimate goal of everything we do in public education, and a higher graduation rate indicates that we are making progress toward accomplishing our mission of ‘Success for All Students.'”
