Bainbridge High School’s graduation rate improved this year, with its first class of seniors who were not required to take the Georgia High School Graduation Test to receive a diploma.

In 2014, BHS graduated 266 of its 388 seniors at a rate of 73.7. In 2015, the New Beginning Learning Center was calculated separately from BHS. Of the 372 seniors at BHS, 305 graduated at a rate of 82. Eight of 26 seniors graduated from NBLC at a rate of 30.8. Combined, Decatur County had a graduation rate of 77.7, still an improvement from last year.

The system follows the statewide trend of graduation improvement over the last few years. Georgia’s 2015 high school graduation rate rose from 72.5 percent in 2014 to 78.8 percent in 2015.

“We are tremendously pleased with the significant increase in the BAinbridge High School and statewide graduation rates,” said Superintendent Dr. Fred Rayfield. “The BHS faculty, staff and administration have worked diligently to help all of our students achieve success and high school graduation.”

This is the fifth year Georgia has calculated the graduation rate using the adjusted cohort rate, which is now required by the U.S. Department of Education. The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate defines the cohort based on when a student first becomes a freshman; it is calculated using the number of students who graduate within four years and includes adjustments for student transfers. In contrast, Georgia’s former graduation rate calculation defined the cohort upon graduation, which may have included students who took more than four years to graduate.

According to the Georgia Department of Education, the state is moving away from a “one-size-fits-all approach to graduation” and it will focus more on personalized learning rather than standardized approaches.