MACON, Ga. — The Bibb County School District is celebrating a major achievement among their students.
The district announced Thursday that their 2021 graduating class saw a graduation rate of over 80%.
"May 26th of 2021, aka Graduation Day!" was a day that Hannah Barbour says she'll never forget.
Fast-forward almost 6 months later, and, "I'm currently at Middle Georgia State University. My major is Respiratory Therapy. I've been liking it here so far," Barbour said.
Barbour says she's thriving on campus and in the classrooms.
"I'm ahead of all my due dates. If I have trouble, I will make sure that I go and get the help that I need," Barbour said, all things she says Central High School prepared her for.
"Central helped out a lot, because the teachers really cared about their students," Barbour said.
Tanzy Kilcrease is the Chief of Staff for the Bibb County School District.
Kilcrease says the teachers and students are the reason why the graduating Class of 2021 accomplished something major.
"We have great news today, and the great news is that the district's graduation rate has surpassed 80%!" Kilcrease said.
The rate is 80.67%, 29 points higher than in 2011.
"Our graduation rate was in the 50s, and of course, that wasn't OK with us," Kilcrease said.
In 2015, Superintendent Curtis Jones set a goal of hitting 80% by 2020, and 90% by 2025.
Kilcrease says they did not meet last year's goal due to the pandemic, but they've passed it now, and that's all that matters.
"We've seen an improvement because of the effort of our teachers, faculty, and students, and administrators on ensuring that our students know what exactly it takes to graduate -- it starts off in kindergarten," Kilcrease said.
Kilcrease says the 2021 graduation rate shows that they are on the right track to meeting their goal for 2025.
Barbour says she's proud to be a part of the Class of 2021.
"It feels good because you can really see the growth," Barbour said.