Brunswick County Schools: 14 of 20 schools met or exceeded academic growth

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Brunswick County Schools saw an increase in the number of schools meeting or exceeding expected academic growth during the 2025-26 school year, according to the district’s review of North Carolina’s school accountability results.

Of the district’s 20 schools, 14 met or exceeded expected academic growth, compared with eight schools during the 2024-25 school year.

That means 70% of Brunswick County Schools met or exceeded the state’s growth standard this year, up from 40% last year.

The district had set a goal of having 70% of its schools meet or exceed expected growth during the 2025-26 school year as part of its strategic plan. The long-term goal is for all schools to meet or exceed expected growth by 2029.

“This progress comes from many changes, including stronger alignment among school and district leadership, stronger classroom instruction and a significant drop in chronic student absenteeism as a result of policies developed and supported by the Board of Education,” Superintendent Dale Cole said.

Five schools exceeded expected growth this year, compared with two last year.

The district also reported that 18 of its 20 schools increased their school performance score from the previous year, while seven schools improved by a letter grade or accountability designation.

The number of schools identified as low-performing also fell from five to two.

Schools showing year-over-year improvement

Several Brunswick County schools saw notable changes in their performance and growth designations:

• Leland Middle School improved from a D to a C and went from not meeting growth expectations to exceeding them.
• South Brunswick High School improved from a C to a B and went from not meeting growth expectations to exceeding them.
• Town Creek Middle School went from not meeting growth expectations to exceeding them.
• Bolivia Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School and Cedar Grove Middle School each improved from a D to a C.
• Waccamaw School improved from a C to a B and went from meeting growth expectations to exceeding them.
• The COAST recorded the district’s largest increase in school performance score, gaining 30 points. The school moved from an F designation to a D and from not meeting growth expectations to meeting growth expectations.

The district said nine of the 12 schools that did not meet growth expectations during the 2024-25 school year met or exceeded expected growth in 2025-26.

How North Carolina measures school growth

Growth and achievement are separate components of North Carolina’s school accountability system.

Achievement measures how students perform against state academic standards, while growth measures students’ academic progress based on their previous performance.

The state uses the EVAAS system to determine whether schools exceed, meet or do not meet expected growth.

Under North Carolina’s current accountability model, achievement accounts for 80% of a school’s performance score, while academic growth accounts for 20%.

Brunswick County Schools said families and community members should consider achievement, growth and year-over-year changes when reviewing school performance results.

The district said it plans to release additional information about individual school results in the coming days.

Complete 2025-26 Brunswick County Schools data is available through the district’s data page.