Bryan County Schools’ graduation rate is 82.3 percent, according to statistics released today by the Georgia Department of Education, but that figure is expected to climb after more complete data is factored in. The statewide rate is 79.2 percent.

Bryan County High School’s graduation rate is listed by the state at 67.3 percent, but Superintendent Paul Brooksher said that number will increase once the state makes its recalculation with the updated numbers. The five-year cohort at BCHS is 84.8 percent, an increase of 9.4 percentage points.

“Late last week, staff recognized an error in the graduation data when reviewing it prior to publication,” Brooksher said.

Brooksher said the district has provided the state with the corrected data and supporting documents. State law requires districts to track students who enter high school even if they leave the district at some point before graduation. If that information is not submitted, the student is automatically considered a dropout and counted against the school’s graduation rate.

Richmond Hill High School has a four-year graduation rate of 88 percent and a five-year cohort of 93 percent. That is up 8 percentage points over last year, according to Brooksher.

The five-year measure is used for students who need to complete credits to graduate after their senior class does.

The district’s 2015 graduation rate was 89.2 percent. Bryan County’s rate was 84 percent and Richmond Hill’s was 90.9 percent.

“Ultimately, our success is based on the success of our students, and a high graduation rate means that our students and community have promising futures,” Brooksher said.