GCPS Class of 2025: Gwinnett seniors prepare for graduation

Graduation is right around the corner for 14,486 Gwinnett seniors. It is the culmination of 13 years of hard work during their K-12 academic careers.

     “Graduation is a joyful milestone— a time to celebrate, reflect, and recognize the incredible journey our students have completed over the past 13 years,” says Gwinnett County Public Schools Interim Superintendent, Dr. Al Taylor. “As members of the Class of 2025 take their next steps—whether continuing their education, entering the workforce, serving in the military, or exploring new opportunities— I encourage them to move forward with confidence and purpose. They are more than GCPS graduates— they are leaders, dreamers, and difference-makers. Their voices, talents, and determination will shape a better future for us all. Congratulations, Class of 2025!”

The senior report for the Class of 2025 shows that:

• After graduation, nearly 78% of the students report having plans to continue their education by attending college or postsecondary schools. Most graduates, more than 86%, plan to attend college in Georgia.
  
   
• As of April 2025, these seniors have been offered more than $220.2 million in academic, athletic, and military scholarships.
  
   
• The majority of the scholarship amount, nearly $116 million, was earned for academic achievement. Gwinnett students also earned more than $101.1 million in athletic scholarships and more than $3.2 million in scholarships tied to service academy appointments. These monetary awards do not include HOPE awards, (typically, about a third of graduates), Gates, Posse, or QuestBridge scholarship programs.
  
   
• The Class of 2025 also includes 4,704 Honor Graduates, students who are graduating with a grade percent average of 90 or better.
  
   
• More than half of our seniors—7,660 —experienced the challenge and rigor of college-level Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses during high school, and 56% (4,303) of those students earned a three or better (on a 5-point scale) on optional AP exams to earn college credit or advanced placement in college classes.
  
   
• Another group getting a head start on college are the 2,343 GCPS graduates who participated in the state’s dual-enrollment program, earning both high school and college credit.
  
   
• A total of 1,894 students will enter the workforce after high school, many armed with credentials and certificates earned through our Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) programs and sought after by local employers. Students graduating from the district’s Academy high schools—Berkmar, Central Gwinnett, Discovery, Lanier, Meadowcreek, Shiloh, and South Gwinnett—complete high school with valuable exposure to college majors of interest and experience in potential careers.
  
   
• Brookwood High School graduates the largest class this year, 932, followed closely by Peachtree Ridge High School, 837, and Grayson High School, 830.
  
   
• Thirty-one high-achieving Gwinnett seniors earned a full scholarship through the QuestBridge National College Match program. Of the 14 Gwinnett schools with QuestBridge scholarship recipients, three schools had four students each selected for the honor, tying them for the most students selected. Those schools are Brookwood High School, Duluth High School, and Grayson High School. College Match Scholarship recipients are admitted early to QuestBridge college partners with guaranteed, full four-year scholarships provided by QuestBridge’s 48 college partners, including top liberal arts colleges and exceptional research universities.
  
   
• Two of the nation's 300 Gates Scholarship recipients for 2025 are GCPS students. Discovery High School and Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (GSMST) each produced one recipient. Funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this prestigious scholarship program provides an all-expenses-paid scholarship to high-potential, low-income minority students. It also supports scholars by engaging with them and their institutions to ensure they have access to the resources and services they need, from their first to last day of classes through graduation and the transition to their chosen careers.
  
   
• Twelve Gwinnett graduating seniors earned full rides as Posse Scholars. Founded in 1989, the Posse Foundation identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Posse allows these students to pursue personal and academic excellence by placing them in supportive, multicultural teams—posses— of 10 students. Partner colleges and universities award four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships to Posse Scholars.
  
   
• Gwinnett grads continue to answer the call to military service. Eight GCPS seniors accepted appointments to one of the nation’s military service academies. A total of 489 seniors will serve their country through military service after graduation, including cadets who honed their leadership skills in Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) units available at 14 GCPS high schools. Those earning academy appointments include:

Gwinnett County Public Schools also salutes the highest-ranked students in each school based on their GPA, those earning the title of Valedictorian or Salutatorian. They are:

The graduation ceremonies for Gwinnett’s Class of 2025 will take place as follows: