The percentage of Coweta County School System high school students graduating on-time rose to 92.4 percent for Coweta’s class of 2025.
This year’s graduation rate slightly tops the Coweta County School System’s previous high of 91.9 percent last year, and 91.7 percent reported in 2023. Coweta County’s overall graduation rate was more than 5 percent higher than the state of Georgia’s 2025 rate, which increased 2 percentage points to 87.2 percent, Georgia’s highest rate ever.
State graduation rate calculations track the percentage of high school students who graduate within four and five years of entering high school, for a combined overall graduation rate score.
All three of Coweta’s high schools posted graduation rates of over 90 percent. East Coweta High was 92.3 percent overall, Newnan High was 91.9 percent overall, and Northgate High was 94.0 percent overall.
“Our schools are focused on making sure students are successful, and every single staff member is a difference maker when it comes to graduation,” said Coweta Superintendent Evan Horton.
“It is also important to note that we require a higher standard for successful graduation from Coweta high schools, ” said Horton. “We require 28 units for successful high school graduation compared to the state standard of 23 units. Our community supports those higher standards for our students and also a wide range of opportunities for them, too. Coweta students consistently rise to those challenges.”
“With our growing accelerated career and dual enrollment programs, expanded English and Math course offerings in middle and high schools, and our district wide efforts on literacy K-12, we are continuing to see increases in graduation rates and student achievement across the board,” said Director of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Chase Puckett. “Our consistent application of effective, research-based strategies in all our schools and throughout our district will prepare our students for post-secondary success.”
Both Coweta County and Georgia graduation rates have seen overall increases since the state began using the four and five year “cohort graduation rate” as a standard measure, as required by federal law.
The “Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate” measures the percentage of students who enter high school together as freshmen (the ‘cohort’) who then go on to earn their high school diploma. The calculation of the rate adjusts for student transfers.
Georgia calculates the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate – also called the “on-time” graduation rate – by dividing the number of students who graduate in four years with a regular high school diploma by the number of students who form the adjusted cohort for the graduating class. Students who don’t graduate in that cohort may still go on to meet graduation requirements with additional semesters of coursework. The calculation combines and weights both four and five year graduation rates for a standardized overall graduation rate.
A total of 134 Georgia school districts recorded graduation rates at or above 90 percent, and Georgia’s statewide graduation rate has increased by 19.8 percentage points since 2011.
“I am so proud of Georgia’s class of 2025 and the teachers, staff, and families who supported them,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said.“Seeing this increase in a single year is a strong indicator of the work Georgia’s schools and districts are doing to keep students engaged in their education and prepare them for successful lives after high school. While more work remains to be done, more Georgia students are graduating than ever before – and they’re doing so prepared to pursue futures full of opportunity.”
Coweta County’s graduation rate has remained consistently above the state average during that period, despite having higher standards for graduation under its block scheduling system than most Georgia school districts. Coweta high schools have also used a number of strategies and supports to increase graduation rates throughout that time, including:
- Relevant and challenging instruction by high-quality teachers.
- Individual graduation plans for each student which are closely monitored by faculty.
- Online credit recovery opportunities for students who encounter difficulty in classes, and content-based support and Saturday school opportunities.
- Tutoring available during the day and before and after school.
- Students-support services outside of the classroom including counseling and staff advisors, online facilitator, ELEVATE Coweta Students, and community mentors.
- ELEVATE Coweta Students partnerships working with the most at-risk students.
- Screening for students in math and ELA starting as they transition from 8th to 9th grade and continuing each grading period throughout a student’s time in high school.
- Emphasis on 9th grade readiness and careful scheduling of students
- Innovative scheduling opportunities, including literacy and math focus as well as accelerated and advanced learning opportunities through the Central Educational Center, college dual-enrollment opportunities and work-based learning.
- Organizing professional learning communities for teachers and monitoring the impact of those opportunities by department and content area.
- Content nights for parents to encourage family awareness and support for student’s graduation requirements, high school scheduling and academic content.
- Focusing short-term federal funds made available to Coweta County in recent years into additional teaching personnel, tutoring and other initiatives that have addressed learning loss and increased student support.
To see more on state-wide school and district graduation rates from the Georgia Department of Education, go here.
