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Posted: 3:29 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012

Georgia's high school graduation rate takes a big dip

By Judd Hickinbotham

The Georgia education systems got another poor report card for its graduation rate, as a new federal formula works against the state's numbers.

The federal government now defines a high school graduate as someone who finish school within four years. It does not take into account students that need five or more years to graduate.

The change is bad news for the state's graduation rate, which was at almost 81%. The AJC reports it's now just over 67%.

The number of high school dropouts in the state was thought to be around 15,500. But under the new government formula, it's almost double that number, at more than 30,000.

Georgia's graduation rate remains one of the worst in the country.