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Henry County Schools reports rising graduation rate, $95 million in scholarships and plans for new STEM high school
Summary
Superintendent John Pace told the Henry County Board of Commissioners that the district’s graduation rate rose to 86.8%, the class of 2025 secured about $95 million in scholarships, and a new STEM high school and other facility expansions are planned for fall 2027.
Dr. John Pace III, superintendent of Henry County Schools, told the Henry County Board of Commissioners on June 17 that the district’s graduation rate rose to 86.8% in 2024 and that the class of 2025 — nearly 3,700 graduates — has secured roughly $95,000,000 in scholarships so far.
Pace, speaking at the county’s regular meeting in the Admin Building community room, said preliminary Georgia Milestones results point to proficiency gains in literacy, math and science for the 2024–25 school year and described summer learning programs, early kindergarten supports and credit-recovery options for high school students intended to sustain and accelerate learning.
The update emphasized enrollment and workforce scale: Henry County Schools is the eighth-largest district in Georgia with more than 43,000 students and about 6,000 employees, Pace said, and the district is pursuing facility expansion projects that include classroom additions and science labs at Dutchtown Middle and Ola Middle and a new elementary school slated to open in fall 2027 for the Locust Grove cluster.
Pace said construction is under way on a Henry County STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) high school planned to open in fall 2027 and described the school as the capstone of a districtwide initiative to build a K–12 STEM pipeline.
The superintendent highlighted chronic absenteeism as a persistent challenge, saying research in Georgia shows missing more than five school days significantly harms learning, particularly in pre-K through second grade. He also listed safety investments including a mental health and wellness facilitator at every school and noted continued partnership with the Henry County Police Department and county commissioners on school resource officers.
Commissioners thanked Pace and board members for the presentation and encouraged community participation in the district’s upcoming community-inspired strategic plan process, which Pace said will begin after September and include cluster-based public meetings.
The presentation was informational; no formal county action on school policy or funding occurred at the meeting.
