Testing data is in, HCS reaches sixth in the state
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This month the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released performance and growth data for the 2023-24 school year, and for another year in a row, Haywood County dominated regional rankings with the top two high schools in the western region.
“Our teachers are our heroes,” said Associate Superintendent Jill Barker. “In a world where public schools and teachers come under so much scrutiny, they showed up, they’ve educated our kids, they have endured, and been very, very successful. So, I can’t thank them enough.”
Haywood County was the only public school district in The Smoky Mountain News coverage area that had no low-performing schools, with Macon, Jackson and Swain each having at least one.
The accountability report from the DPI for the 2023-24 school year saw a state-level increase in the percentage of students who are college-and-career ready and grade-level proficient.
The data give every individual school a letter grade, A through F, based on each school’s achievement score from assessments such as end-of-grade and end-of-course tests, English language assessments and students’ academic growth. The assessments account for 80% of the letter grade and growth accounts for 20%.
High schools also incorporate four-year graduation cohort rates, math course rigor and the percentage of students reaching the minimum ACT score for admission to University of North Carolina campuses or the percentage of students achieving a silver certificate or higher on the ACT WorkKeys assessment into their school performance grade.
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ACT WorkKeys is an assessment that tests students’ job skills in applied reading, writing, mathematics and Essential Skills. Scores are based on job profiles that help employers select, hire, train, develop and retain a high-performance workforce.
Under the current school performance grade model, schools that receive a D or F performance grade and do not exceed growth are identified as low-performing.
Haywood
Haywood County Schools jumped to sixth place in the state among 115 school systems in academic performance. At this time last year, the school system was ranked seventh.
For the second year in a row, among 14 counties in the western region of North Carolina, Pisgah is the highest performing high school, with Tuscola now ranked number two. Haywood Early College is the highest performing early college and Riverbend Elementary had the highest overall composite score among pre-K through fifth grade title one schools. According to Barker, the school system ranked number one in the state in EOC testing.
“All of our stakeholders have had a part in this,” Barker said. “I can’t stress that enough… it’s everybody. It has been our cafeteria workers that feed these children, it’s been our bus drivers that wonder where that kid is that morning and check on them, it’s our teacher assistants that develop that strong bond and help those kids learn, so it’s just been the whole community.”
Haywood County had no low-performing schools and only two schools — Bethel Elementary and Waynesville Middle — did not meet overall growth standards, down from four schools the previous year.
Riverbend and Haywood Early College received A grades; Bethel Middle, Hazelwood, Jonathan Valley, Junaluska, North Canton, Pisgah and Tuscola received B grades; and Bethel Elementary, Canton Middle, Clyde Elementary, Meadowbrook and Waynesville Middle received C grades.
The system itself saw 65.4% of students scoring at or above grade level on end of grade and end of course tests, well above the state average of 54.2%, and up slightly from 64.6% composite score during the 2022-23 school year.
The school system also had a four-year graduation rate of 91.5%, above the state average of 86.9%. While the state percentage of students achieving a composite score of 19 or higher on the ACT was 40.2%, Haywood County Schools saw 55.5% of students achieving that baseline score. On the ACT WorkKeys exam, 77.8% of HCS students scored silver or higher, compared to the state average of 60%.
Jackson
In Jackson County, six out of nine schools met growth standards, down from eight out of nine in the previous year. Blue Ridge Early College, Cullowhee Valley and Fairview did not meet growth standards.
With 50% of schools designated as low-performing, the district itself was on the cusp of being designated a low-performing district. Blue Ridge Early College, Cullowhee Valley, Scotts Creek and Smoky Mountain Elementary all received D grades. Smoky Mountain High School, Blue Ridge School, and Fairview received C grades and Jackson County Early College received a B. Unlike the previous year, no schools in Jackson received an F.
The school district’s four-year graduation rate dropped just slightly to 84%, down from 86.4% the previous year, putting the district below the state average of 86.9%. However, JCPS had 42.7% of students score 19 or higher on the ACT, above the 40.2% of students state-wide.
The school system had 47.6% of students score at or above grade level on end of grade and end of course tests, below the state average of 54.2%.
Macon
In Macon, eight out of eleven schools met growth standards. Franklin High School, Mountain View Intermediate and Bartram Academy did not meet growth standards.
Two schools received a D grade — Mountain View Intermediate and Nantahala School — both of which had the same letter grade the previous year. South Macon Elementary, Macon Middle, Iotla Valley, Highlands School, Franklin High School, East Franklin and Cartoogechaye all received C grades. Macon County Early College received the lone B grade.
The school system had 52.6% of students score at or above grade level on end of course and end of grade exams, a few points below the state average of 54.2%. MCS had a four-year graduation rate of 90.6%, down from 92.7% the year prior, but still above the state average of 86.9%.
MCS saw 46.9% of students score 19 or above on the ACT, and 61.4% of students score silver or higher on the ACT WorkKeys exam, higher than the state averages of 40.2% and 60% respectively.
Swain
In Swain County, only Swain West Elementary School met growth standards, with Swain East Elementary, Swain Middle and Swain High falling below growth standards. This is down from the previous year when Swain County High School was the only institution that did not meet growth standards.
Swain East Elementary received the lone D grade in the county, with Swain Middle, Swain West Elementary and Swain High all receiving C grades. During the 2023-23 school year, all four schools in the county received Cs.
The four-year graduation rate in the county dropped to 84.5%, down from 87.7% the year prior, and below the state average of 86.9%. About 42.5% of students scored a 19 or higher on the ACT, above the state average of 40.2%. And on the ACT WorkKeys, 69.4% of students scored silver or higher, as opposed to the state average of 60%.
Swain County Schools had 47.3% of students score at or above grade level on end of grade and end of course tests, below the state average of 54.2%
