Media release from Rome, GA City Schools:
Thirteen years of learning. Thirteen years of growing. Thirteen years of teachers, parents, bus drivers, school nutrition staff, counselors, administrators, coaches, support staff, and countless others investing in a child. And then, on graduation day, comes approximately 13 seconds.
A student’s name is called. They walk across the stage. They receive their diploma. They take a picture and shake hands with the principal, then fist-bump the superintendent and school board members. And they walk off the stage ready for what comes next. For Rome City Schools, those 13 seconds represent far more than a ceremony. They represent the fulfillment of the district’s mission that all students will graduate from Rome High School prepared for college or work.
The Rome High School Class of 2026 has helped Rome City Schools move that mission closer to reality, achieving a 96.3 percent graduation rate, which is the highest graduation rate in school history.
The achievement continues a remarkable four-year progression:
- 2023: 91.7 percent
- 2024: 94.5 percent
- 2025: 95.7 percent
- 2026: 96.3 percent
For the first time in school history, Rome High School’s four-year graduation rate reached 96.13 percent, while the five-year graduation rate reached an all-time high of 96.67 percent. Rome High School’s graduation rate also continues to exceed Georgia’s statewide graduation rate of 88.5 percent. But the most important story may not be the overall number. It is who is being reached.
Closing Gaps. Opening Doors. Moving the Needle.
The Class of 2026 produced significant gains across student groups, demonstrating that the district’s commitment to graduation is not simply about increasing an overall percentage. It is about ensuring more students are reaching the finish line.
Among the notable gains:
- Black students: 93.90 percent to 97.99 percent
- White students: 95.08 percent to 97.46 percent
- Economically disadvantaged students: 95.69 percent to 96.13 percent
- Students with disabilities: 79.17 percent to 98.08 percent
The increase among students with disabilities represents an especially significant gain of nearly 19 percentage points. These results reflect the work of an entire school system committed to removing barriers, providing additional support, and refusing to allow a student’s circumstances to determine whether that student reaches graduation.
Rome City Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric L. Holland said the record graduation rate represents the collective work of an entire community.
“A graduation rate is a number, but behind every percentage point is a student, a family, and a story. This achievement belongs to our students first, but it also belongs to every person who helped them get here,” Dr. Holland said. “It belongs to our teachers and principals, our counselors and support staff, our bus drivers and school nutrition teams, our parents and families, and every person who showed up for a child along the way.”
“I also want to recognize our Board of Education. Our Board has made the graduation mission a strategic priority and has supported policies and investments designed to ensure that graduation means more than simply earning a diploma. Our work is about preparing students for what comes after the stage,” he said.
The Diploma Is Not the Finish Line
Rome City Schools has intentionally connected its graduation work to the second half of its mission, which is preparing all students for college or work.
The Rome City Schools Board of Education adopted Policy IHF, requiring students to complete a pathway as part of the district’s graduation expectations.
The policy reflects the district’s belief that students should leave Rome High School with more than a diploma. They should leave with a clear next step.
For the Class of 2026, 99.3 percent of graduates completed a pathway, and students who completed a pathway achieved a 100 percent graduation rate. The district’s investment in college and career readiness has also produced measurable results.
Of the 481 graduates represented in the senior exit survey:
- Students reported plans to attend 56 unique colleges and universities
- 133 students earned AP Scholar honors
- 65.4 percent planned to enroll in college
- 22.9 percent entered the workforce.
- 3.9 percent planned to enlist in the military.
- 0.3 percent reported plans to pursue entrepreneurship.
Together, those destinations represent the district’s 4 Es of Enrollment, Employment, Enlistment, and Entrepreneurship. The Class of 2026 also demonstrated preparation for life beyond high school in other meaningful ways:
- 62.4 percent had a checking account and participated in a financial literacy workshop.
- 35.6 percent completed more than 100 hours of community service.
- 75.9 percent earned a driver’s license.
- 27.5 percent registered to vote.
These measures reinforce an important distinction at Rome City Schools. Preparation is the mission and graduation is the milestone.
Pathways That Lead to Possibility
The district’s commitment to pathways is particularly evident in Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE). The Class of 2026 included 338 graduates who completed a CTAE pathway, with a 74.3 percent pass rate on End-of-Pathway Assessments.
Students also completed pathways in areas including Advanced Placement, Fine Arts, and World Language. That work is supported by the Board of Education’s investment in the district’s College and Career Academy, helping expand opportunities for students to connect their high school experience to college, careers, and life after graduation.
The result is a graduation experience designed not simply to answer the question, “Did you graduate?” It asks a more important question. “What are you prepared to do next?”
While the spotlight naturally falls on Rome High School and the Class of 2026, Dr. Holland emphasized that the achievement belongs to the entire Rome City Schools family. Every principal who has led a school and helped prepare these students. Every teacher who taught them. Every counselor who encouraged them. Every academic and support staff member who removed a barrier. Every bus driver who safely brought them to school. Every school nutrition employee who helped nourish them. Every parent and family member who encouraged them. Every administrator who made a difficult decision in the best interest of students. And, most importantly, every student who refused to stop moving forward.
Dr. Holland also recognized the collective responsibility of the district’s leadership team and all Rome City Schools principals.
“Our mission does not begin at Rome High School, and it does not belong only to the high school,” Dr. Holland said. “Every principal, every teacher and every employee plays a role in preparing students for that walk across the stage. Our elementary and middle schools are building the foundation, and Rome High School is helping students turn that foundation into a future.”
Rome High School Principal Dr. Christy Epps said the record graduation rate reflects the individual journeys behind the statistic.
“Every student who walked across that stage had their own story and their own journey to get there,” Dr. Epps said. “Some faced challenges along the way, and there were teachers, counselors, administrators, staff members, and families there to encourage them and help them keep moving forward. That is what makes graduation so special. We are not celebrating a number. We are celebrating students and everything they accomplished to reach that moment.”
While 96.3 percent is an achievement, 100 percent is the Goal
Rome City Schools is celebrating the Class of 2026 while remaining focused on the work ahead. The district has improved its graduation rate every year since 2023. The district’s goal is for all students to graduate, so we still have more work to do to get to 100 percent. And even 100 percent graduation will not represent the completion of the mission unless those graduates are prepared for college or work.
Dr. Holland also wanted to send a special shout-out to former Rome High School principal Parke Wilkinson for a very impressive four-year tenure at RHS, leading the work to produce these great results.
For the Class of 2026, the 13 seconds on the stage were the culmination of 13 years of work. For Rome City Schools, those 13 seconds are also a reminder of the responsibility that comes next. Keep moving the needle. Keep opening doors. Keep preparing students. Keep believing in every student. Because the diploma is not the end of the journey. It is the beginning of what comes next. To the class of 2027, your journey to Barron Stadium has begun. Let’s get there together.
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