Atlanta Public Schools graduated 91.2% of its Class of 2026 seniors on time, a district record that outpaces Georgia's own record-setting statewide average of 88.5%. The district graduated 3,220 students this year, 125 more than the previous year's cohort, marking the seventh consecutive year of graduation-rate growth for APS.
A Seventh Straight Year of Gains
The APS figures were reported by WSB-TV, which detailed how the district's rate now outperforms the state average by nearly three percentage points. Superintendent Bryan Johnson said the milestone reflects the commitment, resilience and hard work of APS students, educators, leaders, board and community. Nine of the district's 16 high schools improved their graduation rates compared to 2025, with Coretta Scott King Young Women's Leadership Academy, Drew Charter School, and Best Academy each reaching a perfect 100%.
Several individual campuses posted notable year-over-year jumps, per the same report: Booker T. Washington High School climbed 7.35 percentage points, South Atlanta High School rose 5.34 points, and Frederick Douglass High School gained 2.87 points. Among student subgroups, APS reported a 90.05% graduation rate for Black students, 89.69% for economically disadvantaged students, 87.43% for English learners, and 85.74% for students with disabilities. The gap between Black and white student graduation rates narrowed to 7.94 percentage points, the outlet noted.
This year's result builds directly on the district's prior progress. APS first crossed the 90% threshold in 2025 with a rate of 90.5%, itself an increase from 88.6% in 2024, according to CBS News. That 2025 cohort saw 3,095 students graduate on time out of 3,421.
Georgia's Statewide Rate Reaches a 15-Year High
Statewide, 88.5% of Georgia's Class of 2026 students earned diplomas within four years, up from 87.2% for the Class of 2025, per WSB-TV's report. That is the state's highest rate since federal regulations first mandated Georgia's adjusted cohort graduation calculation in 2011, when the statewide rate stood at just 67.4%, according to Capitol Beat. That marks a 21.1 percentage point increase over 15 years, with the only dip coming in the 2021 cohort, which slid 0.1 percentage point to 83.7% amid COVID-19 pandemic disruptions.
The cohort method behind these figures matters for how the numbers should be read. As explained by the Moultrie Observer, the federally mandated four-year adjusted cohort calculation tracks ninth graders through graduation and allows districts to subtract only verified transfers to other diploma-granting schools, preventing districts from excluding struggling students who simply drop out without enrolling elsewhere. Georgia Superintendent Richard Woods said he is incredibly proud of the Class of 2026 and the teachers, families, staff and communities who supported them, while also saying the state should ensure students graduate prepared for life.
Metro Atlanta Districts Post Their Own Records
APS was far from alone in celebrating gains. Fulton County Schools, metro Atlanta's largest district, graduated 93.4% of its 7,718 Class of 2026 seniors, while Cobb County Schools recorded a district-record 90.9% rate among 9,195 counted seniors, with 13 of its traditional high schools reaching 90% or higher led by Harrison High at 98.9%, according to East Cobb News. Marietta City Schools reached a record 95.1% rate, a 19.4 percentage point gain since 2019, ranking first among metro Atlanta districts for overall graduation rate growth over that span, per Marietta City Schools.
Outside metro Atlanta, Muscogee County School District in West Georgia posted an all-time district high of 96.3%, marking 14 consecutive years of gains since federal cohort tracking began, with all nine of its high schools outperforming the state average, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. Statewide, 147 of Georgia's 180 public school districts achieved a graduation rate of 90% or higher for the Class of 2026, according to WSB-TV, while four districts — Ware County, Warren County, Chickamauga, and Trion — hit 100%, Capitol Beat reported. Among those four, only Ware County had a graduating class exceeding 100 seniors, with 318 graduates.
Do Higher Rates Mean Better-Prepared Students?
Not everyone is treating the numbers as an unqualified win. Angira Sceusi, executive director of the education nonprofit RedefinED Atlanta, said in September that while rising graduation rates are worthy of celebration, stakeholders must also examine subject proficiency and college-and-career readiness metrics to determine whether students have mastered core academic skills, according to WABE.
That tension between completion rates and proficiency sits alongside new academic requirements on the horizon. Under Georgia Senate Bill 179, passed in 2024, artificial intelligence and computer science competencies will become mandatory high school graduation requirements across all Georgia districts by 2031. Separately, APS reported districtwide Advanced Placement exam score increases across every high school campus this month, complementing the district's four-year cohort gains with broader signs of academic progress.
