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Number of high school graduates on the rise in Walker, Catoosa counties

In this 2016 file photo, Ridgeland High School students Jacob Rogers, Draven Chapman and Xavier Meyer look at equipment models at Astec Inc. during a job fair. The Walker County Schools district has once again seen an increase in graduation rates thanks to factors like increased access to opportunities, state officials say.
In this 2016 file photo, Ridgeland High School students Jacob Rogers, Draven Chapman and Xavier Meyer look at equipment models at Astec Inc. during a job fair. The Walker County Schools district has once again seen an increase in graduation rates thanks to factors like increased access to opportunities, state officials say. In this 2016 file photo, Ridgeland High School students Jacob Rogers, Draven Chapman and Xavier Meyer look at equipment models at Astec Inc. during a job fair. The Walker County Schools district has once again seen an increase in graduation rates thanks to factors like increased access to opportunities, state officials say.

By Myron Madden 4 min read

Amid a hefty agenda, Walker County School Board officials took a moment during their Oct. 15 meeting to formally celebrate the recent increase in high school graduation rates.

Released by the Georgia Department of Education late last month, the adjusted cohort graduation rate measures the number of students who graduated with a regular high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

2018 Grad Rates By School

WALKER COUNTYRidgeland High: 90.8 LaFayette High: 84.5 CATOOSA COUNTYHeritage High: 91.3 Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High: 82.3 Ringgold High: 90.3 Source: Georgia Department of Education

According to this year’s calculations, 520 of the 591 students in Walker’s 2018 graduating class earned their diplomas this year, raising the county’s rate from 85.4 percent to 88 percent.

When Georgia first began using the calculation in 2012, Walker County Schools’ graduation rate sat at 69.4 percent, well below the national average of 81 percent at the time.