By Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released new data last week on student graduation rates, test scores, and grade-level proficiency across the state. Gains remain uneven across regions and demographics, and officials are calling for more targeted support and reform.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice “Mo” Green presented the 2024–2025 school year data to the State Board of Education last week, highlighting that nearly 88% of high school students graduated within four years—the highest four-year cohort graduation rate in state history.
In addition to graduation milestones, North Carolina students performed better on 12 out of 15 standardized tests in math and reading. These results mark a three-year high in most tested subjects. The average ACT score for 11th graders improved slightly to 18.2.
“These results from the 24-25 school year certainly demonstrate resilience, dedication, and progress for our students and educators across the state,” Green said. “These results, I believe, represent more than just mere numbers; they represent thousands of students who are better prepared for their next phase in life.”
Despite the improvements, the overall percentage of students considered Grade-Level Proficient (GLP) remains at 55% statewide, showing a modest growth of 0.8% over the previous year. Though GLP has risen steadily since the pandemic, the rate of improvement has slowed year-over-year.
Gender disparities persist, with female students outperforming males by about 2 percentage points. Racial gaps are more stark: approximately 30% more white students are GLP than Black students.
College readiness indicators, meanwhile, have slipped. Just over one-third of students are considered ready for college, with every demographic group declining in this metric compared to last year.
Wake County continues to be a strong performer among North Carolina districts. Since 2021, GLP rates in Wake have risen from 55% to 64%, but growth has begun to plateau, with only a 1.4% increase this year.
Still, Wake County Public Schools (WCPSS) outperformed many others: 53% of schools received A or B grades. Math and reading scores improved, with Math 3 seeing a 7.4% increase—the largest subject gain in the district. The five-year graduation rate reached 93.1%, significantly above the state average.
However, about 36% of Wake students remain below grade level. Equity gaps are also notable: more than 80% of white and Asian students are GLP, compared to just 42% of Black and Hispanic students.
Just next door, Durham County lags behind Wake. Less than half of Durham students are GLP.
The broader North Central Region, which includes counties surrounding Wake County from Chatham to Edgecombe, has seen a 12% improvement in GLP since 2021, reaching 59%. Gains have been strongest in science and math, while reading remains a lagging indicator.
Black students in the region, while still only 40% GLP, have seen steady year-over-year improvement since the pandemic.
In Cleveland County, significant reforms using Marzano’s High Reliability Model led to all four middle schools avoiding low-performing status for the first time in four years. Three of them met or exceeded growth expectations.
Meanwhile, Nash Early College High School in Nash County received an "A" rating, exceeded growth, posted some of the highest proficiency scores in the district, and celebrated a 100% graduation rate.
The 2024–25 data also showed that 71% of schools met or exceeded growth, up from the previous year. The number of low-performing schools dropped by nearly 50, and those “continually low-performing” dropped by 60. More schools received A, B, or C grades, while D and F grades declined by two percentage points.
However, the current school performance grade system has drawn criticism. Many say it correlates too closely with poverty levels. Superintendent Green plans to form a task force in October to propose changes to the letter-grade system.
Chief Accountability Officer Tammy Howard stated, “We’re anticipating next year, this time, to have results related to that work and that effort” around the "science of reading" reforms now being implemented statewide.
Hurricane Helene disrupted instruction in western North Carolina, leading to federal waivers for 10 schools. These schools will have footnotes on their 2024–25 accountability data.
Green also acknowledged growing interest in using artificial intelligence to support teaching, and praised the General Assembly's move to limit mobile phone usage in classrooms: “It will allow for more instruction and more teaching and learning to transpire.”
While celebrating this year’s data, Green remains focused on the long term.
“I’m proud of our students and educators who have worked hard to improve these metrics even as we acknowledge that our students are more than test scores,” he said. “While the progress and growth shown in these reports deserve praise, we must continue our work to promote excellence for all students.”
Green has set an ambitious goal: to have the highest graduation rate in the country by 2030.
