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Highest Graduation Rate Achieved

Last spring, 318 Cartersville High School seniors walked across the stage to begin their future while setting a district-record graduation rate of 92.2 percent since 2012 when Georgia aligned its graduation rate calculation with national standards. Cartersville High School also increased its rate by 3 percentage points over last year and surpassed the state graduation rate of 84.4 percent.

Cartersville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Marc Feuerbach said, “Graduation is not only the pinnacle of a student’s K-12 experience, but also the motivation of every staff member as they work to positively impact our students and prepare them to begin building their legacies. We celebrate this milestone attained by the dedication of our students and also our faculty and staff districtwide."

Another aspect of student success is found in the performance of students in demographic groups as defined by the Georgia Department of Education. The graduation rate of Cartersville High School students who are English Learners increased 14 percent over last year, Black students grew 11 percent, and Hispanic students rose 5 percent.  

Cartersville High School counselors and administration identified and investigated the 26 stories of students who did not graduate with the Class of 2023. 
 
Floyd Braid, Director of Strategic Initiatives and School Improvement, said, "As a small district, we see beyond the numbers/percentages and see 26 students that did not accomplish the goal of earning a high school diploma. We take an interest in the stories of each of the 26. We know their struggles and we know that seven will be returning to earn their diploma in five years. Four relocated to a different country and, unfortunately, most had significant life events interrupting their high school career. Seven of these students were enrolled in our district for less than nine months. I think it’s important to point out that comparing graduation rates among districts is problematic at best. Some districts only require students to earn 23 credits over four years to graduate; Cartersville requires students to earn 26 credits to earn a diploma. We believe that having high standards for graduation from Cartersville High School will better prepare our students for their future."