Oconee County's 2020-21 graduation rate tops among Athens-area school districts

Oconee County posted the highest graduation rate for the 2020-21 school year among Athens-area school districts.

According to data released recently by the Georgia Department of Education, 98% of Oconee County students graduated last year.

Statewide, Georgia's graduation rate held steady at 84%, same as the year before.

Clarke County's overall graduation rate was 80%, with Clarke Central High School at 85%, Cedar Shoals High School at 74% and 67% for Classic City High School. 

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The DOE also provided a breakdown of graduation rates among different student groups. In the Clarke County School District, students who are learning English had a graduation rate of 60% and students with disabilities had a rate of 64%. When broken down by race, white students graduated at a rate of 86% with Black students at 75%.

In the Oconee County School System, North Oconee High School had a graduation rate of 99% — the highest among all Athens-area schools — with Oconee County High School at 98%. 

In Oconee County, there were not enough English learners to calculate a graduation rate, but the rate for students with disabilities was 91% and the rate among economically disadvantaged students was 94%. When broken down by race, white students graduated at a rate of 98% with Black students at 95%.

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For the 2019-20 school year, Oconee County had a graduation rate of 98%, with Clarke County at 81%.

In Barrow County, the district-wide rate for 2020-21 was 91%, with Apalachee High School at 92% and ​​Winder-Barrow High School at 90%. 

In Jackson County, East Jackson Comprehensive High School posted a graduation rate of 96% with Jackson County Comprehensive High School at 93%. The Jackson County School System's overall rate was 94%.

The other Athens-area school systems have only one high school, and their 2020-21 graduation rates were:

• Jefferson High School: 98%

• Commerce High School: 96%

• Madison County High School: 95%

• Oglethorpe County High School: 94%