Georgia’s high school graduation rate has surpassed 80 percent for the first time since new federal rules went into effect in 2011. State education officials say 80.6 percent of high school seniors graduated in 2017, compared with 79.4 percent in 2016.

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“It’s wonderful to see Georgia’s graduation rate continue to rise – and rise above 80 percent this year – because we’re not just talking about data points,” State Schools Superintendent Richard Woods said in a statement. “We’re talking about individual students who are moving on, ready and prepared, to their next phase of life.”

Locally, rates were flat in Cobb, Fulton and Clayton counties. Gwinnett improved by more than a point, reaching 80.9 percent. DeKalb gained more than three percentage points, reaching 74 percent. The Atlanta Public Schools saw the biggest increase in the metro Atlanta area, with a 5.9 point jump. APS went from 71.1 percent in 2016 to 77 percent in 2017.

Atlanta Superintendent Meria Carstarphen partially credited new state rules let schools self-govern to a degree.

“I think that this whole charter system operating model – where we’re giving schools more flexibility and autonomy, especially in resource distribution and decision-making around resources – matters a lot,” she said.

Carstarphen said APS high schools have chosen specific curricula to meet the needs of their students. That includes science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. The district has also launched what Carstarphen calls ‘targeted interventions’ for some high schools.

“One of the high schools on the list that you will see where we leaned in hard with a targeted intervention will be Carver Tech,” she said.

Carver Tech improved its graduation rate by almost 18 percent. Carstarphen said it used to be the lowest-performing high school in the district. She merged the school with a high-performing school, Carver Early College. Sharing the same school leadership and teachers made a difference, Carstarphen said.

Carstarphen is pleased with the district’s improvement, but says it’s not enough. She expects APS’s graduation rate to keep climbing. She says she wants to see it reach 90 percent.

A note of disclosure: The Atlanta Board of Education holds WABE’s broadcast license.