Eight NC Schools Earn National Blue Ribbon Recognition

In September, eight North Carolina public schools were named National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2023 by U.S. Secretary of Education! The eight schools are among 353 schools nationwide recognized this year for their overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps.

The eight schools to receive this honor are:

• Beaufort County Early College High School, Beaufort County Schools
• Fairview Elementary School, Buncombe County Schools
• Greensboro Academy, Charter
• Heyward C. Bellamy Elementary School, New Hanover County Schools
• Highland School of Technology, Gaston County Schools
• Jay M. Robinson Middle School, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
• Lucama Elementary School, Wilson County Schools
• W.R. Odell Elementary School, Cabarrus County Schools

I’m so proud of the students, teachers, staff members, and leadership of each of these schools and I'm so glad to see them be recognized for all the hard work that got them to this point. These schools are a shining example of the incredible things North Carolina’s public schools are capable of accomplishing!

Learn more about Blue Ribbon designation and how the eight schools received it here. 

NC Students Make Gains in 2022-23, Continuing Recovery from COVID Losses

State test results from the 2022-23 school year, presented to the State Board of Education in September, showed us that North Carolina students continued to recover ground lost to the COVID pandemic with gains across virtually all grades, subjects and student subgroups!

Our schools also showed progress on accountability measures, with more than 7 of every 10 schools achieving or exceeding their goals for academic growth, while the proportion of schools that did not meet growth expectations was just one percentage point higher than in the most recent pre-pandemic year of 2018-19. Additionally, over one quarter of the state’s 2,598 public schools earned a School Performance Grade of an A or B; with nearly two out of every three receiving a C or better.

It’s hard to overstate the impact of the pandemic, but it is clear that teachers across our state are working harder than ever to help students recover, and more importantly, advance in their learning. We’ve now seen two consecutive years of gains that were greater than any of the several years preceding the pandemic losses, when year-to-year changes in average scores were generally flat, or in some cases, declining. Students and schools still have a way to go to catch up, but we have good reason to think that progress will continue. 

Read more about the results and gains here. 

NC Students Make Gains on AP Exams, Outpacing the Nation on Several Indicators

The Advanced Placement Program (AP) enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school.

The number of North Carolina students taking at least one AP exam last school year increased by 11.2% from the 2021-22 school year, when AP participation in the state had fallen to its lowest level since the most recent pre-pandemic year of 2018-19. North Carolina also outpaced the nation as a whole, for which AP participation increased last year by 7.6% from the previous year.

We could not be prouder of our students, families and teachers for their dedication and accomplishments! Students families and our educators have worked hard to ensure that students are prepared, engaged and successful in AP courses.

Read more about the achievements North Carolina students made on AP exams here.