COLUMBUS, Ohio -- As thousands of high-school seniors prepare to don the cap and gown for graduation, NBC 4 reported on new information regarding last year's graduation rates.

Ohio School District Graduation Rates: Click here for a searchable database

NBC 4's Tom Brockman broke down the districts in Central Ohio that graduated the most students and those that didn't make the grade.

"It's a struggle. Without having an education, it's a struggle," Robinette Smith said.

Smith's son James is two years away from doing something she didn't: graduate from high school. 

"I want my son to graduate. I want him to have better than what was offered to me," Smith said. "He deserves it."

James is on track to be one of the lucky ones.

According to the Ohio Department of Education, Columbus City Schools had the fifth lowest graduation rate in the state last year at 70.6 percent.

That's a 2.3 percent drop from the previous year, but it's still well above the 55 percent officials said they were at in 2002.

Officials with Columbus City Schools told NBC 4 that new graduation tests might have something to do with the dip in graduation rates. More than 300 students did not pass the science portion of the test and could not receive their diploma.

The district is launching a program to help teach students science and math.

Newark City Schools' graduation rate was the seventh lowest in the state at 71.6 percent. It's looking into beefing up their middle-school curriculum to prepare students for high school.

South-Western City Schools ranks 85th, but its graduation rate increased to 90 percent, an all-time high for the school system. To increase it further, the district implemented a committee to identify and help students who are at risk of not graduating.

School districts that had graduation rates of at least 97.7 percent included Reynoldsburg, Pickerington, Upper Arlington and Olentangy Local Schools. That's to name a few.

Stay tuned to NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for more information.

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