September 29, 2025 – At 97.7 percent, Carroll County School’s graduation rate is the highest in the state among districts with three or more high schools, data released today by the Georgia Department of Education shows.

For the eighth year in a row, over 90 percent of seniors in the Carroll County School System graduated last year, and all five high schools in the system have school graduation rates above 90 percent as well.

Bowdon High School - 97.2 percent graduation rate
Central High School - 97.8 percent graduation rate
Mount Zion High School - 99.1 percent graduation rate
Temple High School - 98.9 percent graduation rate
Villa Rica High School - 96.7 percent graduation rate

The state average for all districts is 87.2 percent. Only two systems with two high schools rank ahead of Carroll County in the overall scores. Even judged against single high school districts, Carroll County ranks 16th.

Additionally, Carroll County’s internal measurement of students who go beyond state graduation requirements to intentionally prepare for postsecondary enrollment, employment or military enlistment – called G+ – increased 13 points to 70.1 percent.

“I am proud of the work our system has done over the past several years to improve our graduation rate because each number represents a student whose life has been positively changed,” Superintendent Scott Cowart said. “Since the 2010-2011 school year, our graduation rate is up a full 30 percent due to a combined effort of everyone in our district.”

Associate Superintendent Dr. Jessica Ainsworth said students are challenged to focus on their future, and that has led them to look past graduation to what comes next.

“I think when you get students to look beyond a milestone like graduation, they no longer question if they will graduate, but what they want to do next,” Ainsworth said. “We are intentionally challenging students to set a course for what comes after graduation and helping them make decisions now that will lead them to their destination.”

Carroll County Schools introduced the G+ certification in the 2024-25 school year, to focus students on their future after high school graduation. Cowart said with a graduation rate of 97 percent, another scale was needed to measure student preparation for life after graduation.

“We drive students to graduation, but it’s not the end of their journey just because they leave Carroll County Schools,” Cowart said. “Making them productive, well-rounded, taxpaying members of our community is our real goal. G+ helps them know what they need to do to be prepared for wherever they want to go and whatever they want to do next.”

Students who decide their desired path after graduation are given checklists and specific goals to achieve G+ certification, Ainsworth said.

“Our mission is to prepare students to graduate ready to be enrolled, enlisted or employed,” she said. “That hasn’t changed, but we’ve created G+ to better describe our work to prepare students to excel in their chosen path after graduation.”

The system also emphasizes involvement in extracurricular activities.

“We know that students who are involved in arts, athletics and activities outside the classroom perform much better in the classroom,” Cowart said. “If we can find something that excites students – be it band, robotics, agriculture or something else – we can create belonging, engagement and motivation to come to school and do their best. Those students will perform at a high level, graduate on time and be ready for what’s next.”

Carroll County Schools ranks nationally as a leader in science, technology, engineering and math education at all grade levels with more nationally STEM-certified schools than any other district in the state. The system offers two college and career academy campuses to serve students throughout the county and multiple community partnerships to directly benefit students with organizations such as Tanner Health, Southwire, University of West Georgia, West Georgia Technical College.