The following press release comes from The Dade County Board of Education, regarding the increased graduation rate of Dade County High School, which has experienced a percentage increase of nearly 8%.
The Georgia Department of Education released the 2022 four and five-year graduation rates to the public earlier today. Dade County High School’s four-year graduation rate of 91.46% is a favorable increase over the 2021 rate of 84.1%.
Dade County Schools Superintendent, Mr. Josh Ingle, states “I am extremely proud of the overall increase in the graduation rate at Dade County High School. Mr. Cooper and the DCHS staff are working extremely hard to emphasize the importance of positive relationships with students while also holding them accountable for their learning. Despite the challenges endured over the last couple of years, the students, instructional staff, support staff, parents, and the Dade County community worked collaboratively to achieve these outcomes. We will continue to invest in the lives of our students and expect achievement results to continue improving. I congratulate Mr. Cooper and his staff and look forward to celebrating this accomplishment with the DCHS team.”
Director of Academics Patti Johnson, stated, “I am very encouraged and excited to see that our graduation rate increased. It has been a difficult few years amidst the pandemic, but this increase is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students and staff. The pandemic brought about many trials and hurdles, but it also brought our school system to a place of unity. There has been no stone unturned to help our students achieve their goals. This can be seen in many of our recent state test scores and now it is evident in our graduation rate.”
Principal Brent Cooper shared the following statement:“Part of our mission statement at DCHS states that “we are Dedicated and Committed to Helping Students graduate and become college and career ready.” This is not some sort of catchphrase that we include in our handbook for creativity points, it is something that our entire staff embraces. The increase in our graduation rate was not the work of one or two individuals, it was a team effort. It takes all stakeholders including students, parents, community members, teachers, counselors, administrators, and other faculty and staff to work as a team. The moment our counselors begin registering 8th-grade students during the spring prior to their freshman year, we begin talking to them about the number of credits needed to graduate from DCHS. Our purpose is to begin building relationships with them early and prepare them for the future. We want to highlight their achievements from the moment they enter ninth grade up until they walk across the stage and receive their diploma. I am proud of the hard work and dedication to all who have contributed to this wonderful news.”
