Faces of Metro Atlanta's Dropout Rate: Andre Paraguassu

A recent federal report revealed that Georgia has one of the worst graduation rates in the nation, third from the bottom.

Nearly half of the state’s students do not make it to graduation. Research shows that failing classes, coming from a low-income household, and failure early in school are some of the most common predictors for becoming a drop-out.

In 2001, Andre Paraguassu dropped out of Milton High school in north Fulton County as soon as he could. He was 16. This is Andre’s story.

Andre is lead singer and guitarist with the band “Book of Colors.” He told his story to producer Jenny Ament. Our American Graduate drop-out prevention coverage is supported by grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Rita Allen Foundation, and The National Black Programming Consortium.