Students score high in annual school report

Cherokee County public school students exceeded state averages in high school graduation rates, standardized test scores and a number of other measures, according to the Annual Report of District Progress recently released by the school district.

“We are focused on accountability and transparency in our operations, and this report is another way we show our community how we’re delivering on the promises of our Strategic Plan,” said schools Superintendent Brian V. Hightower. The report can be accessed at: http:// bit.ly/2FQBiQF

According to the annual report, Cherokee schools graduated 2,736 seniors in 2017, for a four-year graduation rate of 86.5 percent. Of these students, 56.4 percent were HOPE Scholarship eligible, and they scored an average of 1121 on SAT and 23.2 on the ACT. (Comparable state and national numbers are given in the report.)

Cherokee students overall also scored 84 percent higher than all Georgia districts in the 2017 Georgia Milestones Assessment, the report says.

As for security, 15 school police officers are assigned to all middle and high schools with support to elementary schools within each assigned zone. Also in place are “panic buttons,” video surveillance, buzz-in access to elementary and middle schools, security foyers added at 15 schools, and an emergency notification system to send instant text, email and phone messages to parents.