NASHVILLE — Newly released data from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction shows that students in Nash County Public Schools made a lot of growth on end-of-grade tests for 2023–24.
The district went from being the 108th worst to the 33rd best out of 115 public school districts in North Carolina. It is one of only six districts in the state that has cut the number of low-performing schools every year since 2018.
Superintendent Steve Ellis said, “These scores show we’re making progress in our schools.” He also said that the system was still committed to building good relationships with families and students.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Overall, 19 schools got better grades than the previous year. This is the highest number of schools (68% of them) to get a score of C or higher since the metric was first used in 2015.
As for progress, Nash-Rocky Mount Early College High School and Parker Middle School were ranked as the best in the state, while Southern Nash Middle School was in the top 1%.
In terms of growth, 12 schools made it to the top 25%.
Melanie Dancy-Smith, who works for the district as assistant superintendent of academic services and accountability, said, “As I think back on the last three years, I am so proud of how far our teachers and students have come in closing the achievement gaps.”
“This accomplishment shows how much we care about making learning more enjoyable for all of our students.” Our teachers, staff, students, and families all worked together to make these academic gains. NCPS will keep this momentum going as we continue to help all schools fairly.
OTHER NUMBERS, ACCOLADES
Looking at the system as a whole, 92% of schools met or beat growth (23 schools), and 48% of schools did better than growth (12 schools).
Ten schools went up one full SPG letter grade, and 19 schools, or 76%, saw their overall performance grades go up.
CITI High School, Englewood Elementary School, Nash Central Middle School, Northern Nash High School, Nash-Rocky Mount Early College High School, M.B. Hubbard Elementary School, Parker Middle School, Edwards Middle School, and Red Oak Elementary School as well as Southern Nash Middle School all grew faster than expected.
Middlesex Elementary School, Nash Central High School, Nashville Elementary School, Rocky Mount High School, Rocky Mount Middle School, Southern Nash High School, Spring Hope Elementary School, and Nash Everywhere Digital Academy were some of the schools that met expectations for the 2023–2024 school year.
The district says that Tar River Academy is making progress toward its growing goals.