Marietta High, Cobb Schools See Increase in Graduation Rate

The Marietta and Cobb school districts, as well as the state, saw their graduation rates increase in 2024, data released Tuesday shows.

Marietta’s sole high school, Marietta High, saw its graduation rate rise to 91.4%, compared to 86.4% last year.

“These graduation rates are more than just numbers — they represent the resilience and determination of our students, educators and families,” Marietta Superintendent Grant Rivera said. “It’s a testament to what can be achieved when we come together to support every child in crossing the graduation stage.”

Meanwhile, the overall graduation rate for the Cobb County School District was 87.9%, up from 87.7% last year.

“Improving graduation rates for 8,500 seniors a year isn’t easy. More Cobb students graduating every year is a compliment to the hard work of every teacher, from kindergarten to high school,” Cobb Board Chair Randy Scamihorn said.

Both districts outperformed the statewide average, which was 85.4%.

With an increase of 5 percentage points, Marietta High had the largest gain of any metro Atlanta school district. The district was also ranked fourth for highest graduation rate, behind Forsyth County Schools, City Schools of Decatur and Buford City Schools.

Cobb Schools

The highest performing Cobb school was Lassiter, with a 98% graduation rate.

Harrison and Walton tied for second, with 97.6%, followed by Pope at 97.3%.

Nine of Cobb’s high schools saw their graduation rates increase, while eight saw their rates decrease.

While the largest drops among Cobb schools were North Cobb (decline of 2.1 percentage points) and South Cobb, Wheeler and Hillgrove (all saw declines of 2 points), several schools saw gains of 2 percentage points or more — Cobb Horizon (7.8), and Sprayberry (3.3), Osborne (3.1), McEachern (2.9) and Campbell (2.1).

The school district touted Osborne’s graduation rate, which has increased by 16 percentage points since 2015.

While the above graduation rate data reflects the federally mandated method for calculating the four-year graduation rate, Cobb officials said the graduation rate for students enrolled all four years of high school would be 99.1%, with 13 schools above 99%.

Marietta High

According to Marietta officials, Marietta High School has a record high graduation rate since the state began using the adjusted cohort calculation in 2011.

In Marietta, the graduation rate since last year increased by 4.3 percentage points for Black students, by 6.2 points for economically disadvantaged students, by 8.1 points for Hispanic students and by 9.2 points for students with disabilities.

English learners showed a large improvement in graduation rates, from 69.6% to 83.8%.

“At Marietta High School, we pride ourselves on cultivating an atmosphere where students are challenged to grow academically and personally as they prepare for enrollment, enlistment, or employment,” said Marietta High Principal Marvin Crumbs. “These remarkable statistics speak to the hard work of our students and the relentless support of our educators. We will continue pushing forward, knowing that each success story shapes our school and the greater community.”

Georgia

The statewide graduation rate reached an all-time high since the state began using the adjusted cohort calculation first required in 2011.

The Georgia Class of 2024 recorded a graduation rate of 85.4%, up from 84.4% last year.

This year, 115 school districts posted graduation rates at or above 90%, while 44 districts recorded rates at or above 95%. Georgia’s statewide graduation rate has increased by 18 percentage points since 2011.

“I offer my congratulations to Georgia’s class of 2024 on this historic achievement,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “These students faced great challenges throughout their school careers — they were in middle school when the pandemic hit in 2020. We have worked to provide the resources and supports needed to ensure they could still succeed and thrive, and we continue to see results showing that the efforts of Georgia’s educators, families and all those who have taken the time to invest in students are paying off.”

Georgia uses a federally required method to calculate its graduation rate: The number of students who graduate from high school in four years with a regular high school diploma is divided by the number of students who entered ninth grade. That ninth-grade enrollment number is adjusted to reflect the number of students who transfer in or out of a school over the next three years.