Memphis, Tenn. - The Tennessee Department of Education released 2015-16 graduation rates today, and Shelby County Schools (SCS) has improved for the second straight year.

The District saw an increase of nearly 4 percentage points in high school graduation rates, moving from 75 percent in 2015 to 78.7 percent in 2016.

The latest results continue a pattern of positive progress. In 2015, our 75-percent graduation rate exceeded expectations in the inaugural year of Destination 2025, the District’s initiative to graduate students on time and ready for post-secondary opportunities. This year is no different, as SCS exceeded the graduation goal by more than 3 percentage points.

"I'm extremely proud of this accomplishment. So much credit goes to our teachers, school leaders and District staff who work so hard every day to implement effective strategies for preparing our students for on-time graduation," Superintendent Dorsey Hopson said. "Our continued improvements give me great confidence that we will meet our strategic goal of having 90 percent of students graduate on time by 2025."

This fact sheet illustrates our steady progress since 2014, the demerger year, and highlights our schools with the highest graduation rates. Nineteen schools have graduation rates of 85 percent or higher, including Middle College High with 100 percent. Plus, 16 schools improved by 5+ percent, compared to only five in 2015, including Hamilton High with a 24.4-percent increase, compared to only five in 2015