TDOE Releases 2022-23 Graduation Rate. Statewide Graduation Rates at a Record High of 90.6%. Davidson County lags near the bottom at 81.2%

by Rod Williams, Dec. 1, 2023- The Tennessee Department of Education announced the 2022-23 statewide graduation rate is 90.6 percent, exceeding ninety percent for the first time and achieving the highest graduation rate on record since 2012. This is good news. This is real progress. 

The graduation rate is the rate at which students graduate on time, that is, an entering Freshman graduates within four years. For the 2022-23 school year, the most notable takeaways from graduation data include:  

• Alcoa City Schools, Clay County Schools, Fentress County Schools, Haywood County Schools, and South Carroll Special School District each had over 99% graduation rates.
• 61 districts graduated 95% or more of their eligible students on time.
• 78 districts improved their graduation rates from 2022 to 2023, with nine districts improving by five percentage points or more.
• 896 more students graduated in the 2023 cohort compared to last year, for a total of 65,476 students graduating across the state.
• 29 districts improved graduation rates for the economically disadvantaged student group by five percentage points or more.
• 37 districts improved graduation rates for the students with disabilities student group by five percentage points or more.

This is all great, however, some districts and schools are lagging behind. Davidson County's graduation rate was only 81.2%.  Excluded those districts like School for the Blind, and Achievement School District, and looking at only regular type school districts, Davidson County comes in last at an 81.2% graduation rate. Memphis Shelby County Schools are next at 81.5. Robertson County also has a low graduation rate of 83.6%. 

Among the school systems with a good graduation rate are Williamson County at 97.8% and Wison County at 98.2%.

Individual schools within Davidson County vary considerably in the graduation rates as listed below. Maplewood has the worst graduation rate, only graduating 58.4% on time.  

• Maplewood – 58.4%
• Glencliff – 59.6%
• Antioch HS – 70.6%
• Overton – 72.8%
• Hunter’s Lane – -77.1%
• Hillwood – 77.9%
• Cane Ridge – 79.8%
• McGavock – 70.7%
• Pearl – Cohn 78.7%
• Stratford – 72.3%
• White’s Creek – 82.6%
• Hillsboro – 93.1%
• East Nashville Magnet – 98.4%
• Nashville School of the Arts – 98.6%

Charter school preform a little better than the traditional public schools. 

• LEAD Academy – 88.7%
• KIPP – 95.6%
• LEAD Southeast – 91.5%
• Valor Flagship – 98.5%
• Intrepid – 95.9%
• STEM Prep – 97.6%
• RePublic – 91.8%

Nashville's graduation rate is dismal. There is no reason Nashville should have the worst graduation rate in the state. We need a change at the school board. We need a mayor and council that will make improving public education a priority.  We need a chamber of commerce and business leaders that will pressure the city to improve education and we need parents who will demand improvement. To review the data for yourself, follow this link. 

Top Stories