Test scores, graduation rates on the rise for North Carolina students

Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina students achieved a three-year high in most standardized tests at the end of the 2024-25 academic year, according to the annually released test data that was presented to the State Board of Education today.

Students scored higher in 12 of 15 math and reading assessments, with only third-grade reading, English II and NC Math I trailing the 2023-24 results. The average composite score for 11th graders taking the ACT, a college readiness test, rebounded to 18.2 in 2024-25 from a slight dip of 18.1 the previous year.

Students in Burke County Public Schools achieved three-year highs overall in third- through eighth-grade math and reading as well as high school Math 3. Burke County’s ACT scores went from a composite score of 17.7 in 2023-24 to 17.6 in 2024-25.

Demonstrating alignment to Pillar I of the state Strategic Plan, Prepare Each Student for Their Next Phase in Life, new data shows that the state four-year cohort graduation rate has also risen to 87.7%, up from 87.0% in 2023-24, and is the highest in the past 10 years. In Burke County, the graduation rate rose from 88.2 in 2023-23 to 89.2 in 2024-25, with four of the five high schools increasing their cohort graduation rates.

State Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green said these scores are a baseline for what’s to come.

“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 deserves praise, we must continue our work to promote excellence for all students. Our plan is to Achieve Educational Excellence – for every child in North Carolina and to have the best public schools in the nation. I am eager to see this data continue to improve as we work to implement our strategic plan.”

While students in grades 5 and 8 also take science assessments and high school students take Biology assessments, new tests aligned to the new content standards in science and Biology were implemented in the 2024-25 school year and results should not be compared to previous years.

English Language Learner Changes

English Language learners (EL) saw continued gains as well. The percentage of North Carolina students meeting progress targets or exiting English Language learner status has steadily increased over the past three years – most notably the percentage of students meeting either of these increased from 27% in 2023-24 to 35% in 2024-25. In Burke County Public Schools, that number is 29.5% for 2024-25 compared to 25.8% in 2023-24.

Effect of Helene

As a result of the lost instructional days in western districts due to Hurricane Helene, a waiver was granted by the U.S. Department of Education for schools that provided end-of-course fall testing. A total of 10 schools opted into this waiver.

Also, for all schools affected, the loss of instructional days will be noted on data reports, accountability reports and the NC Report Card.

Burke County Public Schools lost nine instructional days due to Hurricane Helene.

School Performance Grades

Statewide, School Performance grades continue to show an increase of schools earning an A, B or C, while the number of schools earning a D or F declined by nearly two percentage points. Approximately 71% of schools met or exceeded growth in 2024-25. As a result, nearly 50 fewer schools were designated as low performing in 2024-25 compared to the previous year. There were also 60 fewer schools designated continually low performing in the same span.

In Burke County, 17 of 24 schools earned an A, B or C. Nine schools increased in proficiency and five schools increased in growth. Seven schools were low performing in 2025 with a D. George Hildebrand Elementary School had high growth. East Burke Middle and Walter Johnson Middle School came out of low performance status. Three middle schools increased in proficiency. Burke Middle College continues to achieve a grade of “A.”  

Burke County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan said, “We have much to celebrate and we also recognize areas where we must continue to grow. As soon as the preliminary results were released, our leadership team began analyzing the data and developing plans to better support teachers and help all students succeed. While test scores provide one snapshot of progress on a single day, they do not tell the full story of our students. We continue to advocate for a more balanced approach to accountability, with equal weight given to both proficiency and growth, rather than the current 80/20 model. In the meantime, we will celebrate the gains we’ve made, be transparent about where we can improve, and stay focused on our commitment to student success. This year’s theme — all hands working and all minds focused — guides us as we move forward together.”

Achieving Educational Excellence

Outlined in the state Strategic Plan, Pillar I’s focus area is to promote excellence for all with three measures specifically tied to the accountability data release.

• Increase the percentage of students scoring levels 3, 4 or 5 on the End of Grade/End of Course (EOG/EOC) test scores. [P1.M5]
• Increase the average ACT composite score to 20 by 2030. [P1.M6]
• Increase the adjusted four-year cohort high school graduation rate to 92% by 2030. [P1.M7]

Green stressed the importance of benchmarking the 2024-25 accountability results to build and improve upon in order to make North Carolina public schools the standard of excellence.

“The goal of the Strategic Plan is that North Carolina’s public schools will be the best in the nation by 2030,” Green shared. “The measures and actions in our joint strategic plan with the State Board of Education provide us with the roadmap to build on the incredible hard work and diligence of students and educators across the state identified in these results.”