Ga. dropout rate worse than earlier reported

ATLANTA (AP) -- An analysis shows that Georgia's high school dropout rate is nearly twice as bad as earlier reported.

A review of data for the class of 2011 shows that 30,751 students left without earning a diploma. That's almost twice the 15,590 dropouts that were previously reported.

That discrepancy arose this year because federal officials are making states apply stricter rules when calculating graduation rates. Under the new rules, Georgia's graduation rate dropped from about 81 percent to roughly 67 percent.

One reason for the drop is that the formula only counts graduates who earn their diplomas in four years. The analysis also shows that some districts failed to accurately measure how many students actually dropped out.