Georgia's four-year high school graduation rate rose to 88.5% for the class of 2026, the Georgia Department of Education said Monday, up from 87.2% the year before. It is the highest rate since the state began using the federal adjusted cohort formula in 2011, when 67.4% of students graduated on time.
The department said 147 districts had graduation rates at or above 90%, and 69 were at or above 95%. The class it measures is large: Georgia has 509 public high schools, not counting virtual schools, and they enrolled 122,935 seniors in 2024-25, according to allk12's analysis of federal data.
"I'm incredibly proud of the class of 2026, and the teachers, families, school and district staff, and communities who supported them," State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. "It's important to us that we're not just increasing the graduation rate, but ensuring students graduate prepared for life."
The department credited career and technical programs and new diploma options such as the Accelerated Career Diploma and the Work-Based Learning Diploma.
Among the 180 city and county school districts, 141 graduated at least 90% of their students, Capitol Beat News Service reported. Four graduated every student: Ware and Warren counties and the city systems of Chickamauga and Trion. Only Ware County, with 318 seniors, had a graduating class of more than 100.
Some of the state's largest districts fell short of 90%. Clayton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett, each with thousands of seniors, were among three dozen districts with rates in the 80s, according to Capitol Beat. DeKalb reported 83.3%, its third straight record. Jenkins County had a 65% rate, and several state specialty schools gave diplomas to fewer than a third of their classes.
Class of 2026 graduation rates by district
The state has not yet posted its full district-by-district file. These are the 27 districts whose class of 2026 rates had been published by districts or local news as of September 29, sorted from highest to lowest.
| District | Class of 2026 | Class of 2025 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chickamauga City | 100% | Capitol Beat | |
| Trion City | 100% | Capitol Beat | |
| Ware County | 100% | Capitol Beat | |
| Warren County | 100% | Capitol Beat | |
| Floyd County | 97.2% | Coosa Valley News | |
| Carroll County | 97.1% | Carroll County Schools | |
| Stephens County | 96.9% | 96.1% | Stephens County Schools |
| City Schools of Decatur | 96.7% | Capitol Beat | |
| Muscogee County | 96.3% | 96.1% | WTVM |
| McDuffie County | 95.9% | WRDW | |
| Marietta City | 95.1% | Marietta City Schools | |
| Gainesville City | 95% | 93% | WGTJ |
| Bartow County | 94.7% | Coosa Valley News | |
| Houston County | 94.6% | 93.3% | 41NBC |
| Troup County | 94.5% | 93.5% | WTVM |
| Cherokee County | 93.8% | 91.8% | Cherokee County School District |
| Fulton County | 93.4% | Fulton County Schools | |
| Henry County | 92.3% | 89.8% | Henry County Schools |
| Atlanta Public Schools | 91.2% | 90.5% | Atlanta Public Schools |
| Cobb County | 90.9% | 89.2% | Cobb County School District |
| Hall County | 90% | 88% | WGTJ |
| Georgia statewide | 88.5% | 87.2% | Georgia Department of Education |
| Savannah-Chatham County | 87.8% | 87.2% | WTOC |
| Bibb County | 87.6% | 89.0% | 41NBC |
| Richmond County | 84.2% | 81.7% | WRDW |
| Rockdale County | 84% | On Common Ground News | |
| DeKalb County | 83.3% | DeKalb County School District | |
| Jenkins County | 65% | Capitol Beat |
Four-year adjusted cohort graduation rates from Georgia Department of Education data released September 28, 2026, as reported by each source. Blank cells mean the source did not give a 2025 rate. Hall County and Gainesville City rates were reported as whole numbers. Rockdale's figure is its four-year rate; the district's headline 86.05% blends four- and five-year rates. Gwinnett and Clayton had not published exact rates.
Several districts set records. Cobb County topped 90% for the first time, at 90.9%. Henry County rose 2.5 points to an all-time high of 92.3%, and Cherokee County reached a record 93.8%. Carroll County's 97.1% was the second-highest in the state among districts with more than 1,000 graduates, the district said.
Fulton County graduated 93.44% of a class of 7,718 students, its sixth straight record. Superintendent Mike Looney credited hard work, Capitol Beat reported.
Several districts that trailed the state still improved. Richmond County, home to Augusta, climbed to 84.2% from 81.7% in 2025, its third straight record year, WRDW reported. Savannah-Chatham rose to 87.8%. Bibb County went the other way, slipping to 87.64% from 88.97%, 41NBC reported.
In Atlanta Public Schools, three schools graduated every student: Coretta Scott King Young Women's Leadership Academy, Drew Charter School, and BEST Academy, according to Atlanta Daily World. Fourteen APS schools topped 90%.
Georgia's rate since 2011
| Class of | Rate | Class of | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 88.5% | 2018 | 81.6% |
| 2025 | 87.2% | 2017 | 80.6% |
| 2024 | 85.4% | 2016 | 79.4% |
| 2023 | 84.4% | 2015 | 79.0% |
| 2022 | 84.1% | 2014 | 72.6% |
| 2021 | 83.7% | 2013 | 71.8% |
| 2020 | 83.8% | 2012 | 68.7% |
| 2019 | 82.0% | 2011 | 67.4% |
Source: Georgia Department of Education.
The rate has gone up every year but one since 2011. The class of 2021, which spent the spring of junior year and all of senior year in the COVID-19 disruptions, slipped a tenth of a point to 83.7%. Over the full stretch, the rate is up 21.1 percentage points.
The number counts students who earn a regular diploma, or a state-defined alternate diploma, within four years of starting ninth grade. Students who transfer in during high school are added to the class, and those who transfer out are removed. Capitol Beat noted that schools can remove a student who leaves only after confirming the student enrolled somewhere else.
What it takes to earn that diploma is laid out in our guide to Georgia's high school graduation requirements.
Sources
Georgia Department of Education: Georgia's graduation rate hits another historic high of 88.5%
Capitol Beat News Service: Most Georgia school districts graduated at least nine out of 10 students
Metro Atlanta CEO: APS graduation rate tops 91%
Hoodline: Atlanta Public Schools hits record 91.2% graduation rate
Atlanta Daily World: Atlanta Public Schools hits record 91.2 percent graduation rate
Cobb County School District: Record-breaking again
Fulton County Schools: Graduation rate hits record high for the sixth year in a row
DeKalb County School District: Three years, three milestones
Cherokee County School District: Graduation rate soars to all-time high
Henry County Schools: Four-year graduation rate reaches all-time high of 92.3%
Marietta City Schools: Class of 2026 lifts Marietta graduation rate to record 95.1%
The City Menus: Carroll County School System graduation rate over 97 percent
Coosa Valley News: Bartow County Schools post strong graduation rates
Coosa Valley News: Graduation rate for FCS class of 2026 exceeds 97%
41NBC: Bibb, Houston County 2026 graduation rates
WTVM: Muscogee County graduation rate hits new high
WTVM: Troup County graduation rate rises to 94.5%
WRDW: Richmond County graduation rate climbs to record-high 84.2%
WTOC: Savannah-Chatham public schools graduation rate climbs to 87.8%
WNEG: Stephens County Schools graduation rate reaches new record high of 96.9%
On Common Ground News: Rockdale County Public Schools class of 2026
WGTJ: Gainesville, Hall County high school graduation rates
High school and senior counts from allk12's analysis of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
