Four-year graduation rates for the Selma and Dallas County School Systems are on the rise.

Selma High, the only public high school in the city of Selma, saw a rate of 80 percent in 2014, exceeding 2013’s 67 percent rate, according to acting Selma Superintendent of Education Larry DiChiara.

Dallas County high schools climbed to an overall 92 percent after its 2013 high school graduation rate of 73 percent, according to Dallas County Superintendent of Education Don Willingham.

Both reports contribute to Alabama’s 2014 high school graduation rate of 86 percent, a new high for the schools after averaging at 80 percent in 2013.

“We are absolutely delighted to see the graduation rate making these kinds of unprecedented gains,” said State Superintendent of Education Tommy Bice. “It is the result of teachers focusing on identifying the specific needs of students, removing barriers to learning and helping students meet their goals.”

DiChiara said that to calculate the cohort graduation rates, the number of students that entered in the ninth grade were recorded and monitored up until those students graduated.

Therefore, if a high school student transferred to another school and earned a diploma at that other school, he or she would still be included in its former high school’s graduation rate.

DiChiara said the system provided credit recovery opportunities, offered at-home and online instruction, increased counseling efforts, suggested alternatives in its career-tech program and much more to ensure its high school students graduated.

“It gives people confidence that our kids are not losing hope and that our kids do realize that we have enough things in place that if they want to finish school, they can finish school,” DiChiara said. “We try to take away all the excuses.”

Southside High’s graduation rate went from 86 percent in 2013 to 90 percent in 2014.

Dallas County High’s rate, which was at 64 percent in 2013, soared to 93 percent in 2014.

Keith High surpassed its 2013 report of 70 percent with a 90 percent rate in 2014.

Willingham, who proudly reminded the public about its rate Tuesday during the Dallas County School Board meeting, said he expected the system to see an improvement, especially with the graduation examination no longer a requirement.

After studying the 2013 results, the district spent the following school year focusing on offering credit recovery and other options that could prevent students from completing high school or earning their diploma on time.

“Graduation coaches and counselors worked a little bit better and more targeted in students who seemed to be at risk and had that potential,” Willingham said. “You know which students are making As and Bs, and you ought to know those who are struggling may drop out.”

As an educator, Willingham said he knows how vital earning a diploma is to students searching for employment after high school.

“They’ve got to have something marketable for somebody to hire them, and it usually starts with a diploma,” Willingham said. “So if we can assure the public that if you come to us in the ninth grade, 92 percent are going to graduate on time. That’s something that not every system can say.”