Cape Fear school districts excelling in science

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —  School districts in the area are getting some good news about graduation rates and student academics.

Schools in the state received their accountability rates Thursday to see how they measure up when it comes to having career and college-ready graduates. Multiple districts in our area are reporting that their students are excelling at science.

Brunswick, New Hanover, and Pender County Schools scored higher than the state average in 8th grade science. While graduation rates took a slight drop in Brunswick County, New Hanover and Pender Counties saw an increase in graduates. In fact, Pender county outpaced the state average by almost 5 %.

Superintendent Tim Markley said New Hanover’s graduation rate is the highest the district has ever seen.

“We’ve done a lot of work around dropout prevention in our high schools, we’ve revamped some of our ISS programs, so we think all those played a part in the increased graduation rate,” said Markley.

Markely said 83 % of their schools met or exceeded growth expectations last year.