Atlanta Public Schools (APS) achieved a 90.5 percent (90.48) graduation rate for cohort 2025, according to the Georgia Department of Education, which officially released graduation rates for the Class of 2025 today.

This marks the highest all-time graduation rate for the district – topping last year’s rate of 88.6 – and the district has surpassed the state’s graduation rate (87.2) for the third consecutive year. It is also the first time the district’s graduation rate is higher than 90 percent. (See Figure 1)

Figure 1: 2025 APS Graduation Rates APS vs. State

“We are proud of this achievement and what it means for the students of Atlanta’s public schools. We appreciate the commitment and resilience of our students, staff, school board and our community of believers,” APS Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson said. “Now the work continues to ensure that every APS graduate not only completes high school, but finishes ready to enroll, enlist, be employed or pursue entrepreneurship.”    

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A total of 3,095 students graduated on-time from APS in 2025, surpassing last year’s number of 2,873 graduates.  The percentage of students who graduated in 2025 is higher than any other year since 2012, when the state adopted the cohort graduation rate as required by federal law. This is an increase of 222 graduates from 2024. The 2024 cohort included 3,421 students, 171 larger than the 2024 cohort (3,250).  

Of the 16 schools with graduating classes, 11 achieved percentage-point gains in their graduation rate compared to 2024, with single-gender (girls) Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Academy maintaining its 100 percent graduation rate for the seventh consecutive year. 

The largest increase from a traditional high school was Frederick Douglass, which achieved a 7.33 percentage-point gain.  Other traditional schools achieving gains include Booker T. Washington (+5.70), Midtown (+2.56), and single-gender (boys) Business Engineering Science Technology (BEST) Academy (+3.32). Charter/Partner schools with gains included KIPP Collegiate (+2.36) and Carver STEAM (+12.41). (See Figure 2) 

Figure 2: 2025 APS Graduation Rates and Change from 2024

In addition, eleven schools had graduation rates greater than 90 percent:  Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy (100%), Charles Drew Secondary (98.2%), BEST (97.4%), Atlanta Classical Academy (97.2%), KIPP Collegiate (96.6%), Midtown (95.3%), North Atlanta (93.7%), George Washington Carver Early College (93.7%), Jackson High School (91.1%), George Washington Carver STEAM Academy (91%), and Therrell (90.5%).  

Subgroup Graduation Rates Reach All-Time Highs (See Figure 3) 

• Graduation rates for Black students (89.1%) reached an all-time high for the 2025 cohort, while the rate for White students (97.3%) was higher than the cohort 2024 rate. 

• The gap between Black students and White students continues to narrow. Slightly over 8 percentage points separated the graduation rates of Black and White students in 2025, compared to nearly 11 percentage points in 2024.

• Graduation rates for students with disabilities (83.1%) again reached an all-time high with a 3.82-percentage point increase over 2024, when the previous high was 78.8%.

• The 2025 graduation rate for English learners (82.6%) reached an all-time high with a 0.15-percentage point increase over 2024.

• Graduation rates for Economically Disadvantaged students (88.9%) reached an all-time high with a 2.1-percentage point increase over 2024.  

Figure 3: APS Graduation Rates by Subgroups 

“The Class of 2025 continues to raise the bar for Atlanta Public Schools, achieving a record graduation rate of 90.48 percent, the first time in our district’s history we have surpassed 90 percent, and once again outpacing the state average. This milestone builds on last year’s progress when our rate reached 88.4 percent. The steady gains our students are making are both historic and inspiring,” said Atlanta Board of Education Chair Erika Y. Mitchell.” Surpassing 90 percent and eclipsing the state rate for the third consecutive year reflects the hard work of our students, educators, families, and community, as well as the leadership of Dr. Bryan Johnson and his administration team. As a Board, we remain committed to ensuring every student has the resources, support, and opportunities needed to sustain and build upon this success.”