Ga. graduation rate increases for third year straight

ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Education announced Thursday that the public high school graduation rate increased for the third consecutive year.<br /> <br /> The 2014 rate was 72.5 percent, compared to the 2013 rate of 71.8 percent. The rate in 2012 was 69.7 percent.<br /> <br /> "This is something to celebrate," State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge said.<br /> <br /> "When we see the graduation rate consistently trending upward and when we see a greater percentage of our students graduating from our public high schools, we are talking about individual students and individual dreams. We're talking about students whose options and futures expanded when they obtained a high-school diploma. So we are celebrating their victories, and turning toward the future, and the work necessary to make those dreams a reality for an even higher percentage of students."<br /> <br /> This is the fourth year Georgia has calculated the graduation rate using a new formula