North Carolina graduation rate reaches record high as test scores improve

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — North Carolina’s public school graduation rate reached a record high in 2025-26, while students also posted gains on most state standardized tests, according to accountability results presented to the State Board of Education Wednesday.

The four-year cohort graduation rate increased to 88.8%, up from 87.8% the previous year.

The results also showed that 59.2% of students were proficient across all subjects and grades on end-of-grade and end-of-course assessments, the highest combined proficiency rate in the past three years.

Students earning a score of 3, 4 or 5 on the assessments are considered grade-level proficient. That measure reached a three-year high on 14 of 15 reading and mathematics tests.

Test results for every reported race and ethnicity subgroup also reached their highest levels of the past three years, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

“These academic achievement results are a testament to the incredible work happening across North Carolina’s public schools,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice “Mo” Green said. “While I am pleased to see these results trending positively, including our highest graduation rate ever, I look forward to continued progress as we aim to achieve educational excellence for all North Carolina public school students and become the best public education system in the nation.”

College and career readiness

The percentage of students considered college and career ready also increased.

Students who score a 4 or 5 on EOG and EOC exams are classified as college and career ready. That percentage increased to 37.5% in 2025-26, compared with 34.7% the previous year.

College and career ready results improved on 16 of the 18 tests administered during the 2025-26 school year. The two tests that did not reach a three-year high were third- and fourth-grade reading.

Science results also improved, including an 11-percentage-point increase in biology proficiency.

Biology proficiency rose from 48% in 2024-25 to 59% in 2025-26, according to the state. Science proficiency among fifth- and eighth-grade students also increased over the past two years.

English learners and ACT results

The percentage of English language learners who either made progress or exited their language-learning designation reached 36%, a three-year high. That was up from 27% in 2023-24.

The average ACT composite score among 11th graders increased to 18.4. About 55% of students scored at least 17, which is the minimum ACT score for admission to a University of North Carolina System university.

The state noted that the 2025-26 ACT results include a one-time scoring correction. ACT identified a technical scoring issue in spring 2026 online school-day testing and rescored affected exams nationwide.

Because of the correction, NCDPI said it will monitor how this year’s ACT results compare with future years.

Participation in ACT WorkKeys increased to 52,623 students, an 11% increase from 2024. However, the percentage of students earning a silver or higher certificate fell slightly to 59%, compared with 60% in 2023-24.

Fewer schools designated low-performing

School Performance Grades also continued to trend upward, according to NCDPI.

The percentage of schools receiving a D or F fell to 23% in 2025-26, compared with 31% the previous year.

The change resulted in 162 fewer schools being designated low-performing than the year before. Nearly 100 fewer schools were designated continually low-performing.

The number of school districts designated low-performing also declined. Ten districts received that designation in 2025-26, down from 23 in 2024-25 and the fewest since 2018-19.

School Performance Grades take into account student achievement, growth on state assessments and English learner progress. For high schools, ACT results, ACT WorkKeys, math course rigor and graduation rates are also included.

“It is promising to see this continued improvement in student achievement in the 2025-26 accountability results,” NCDPI Chief Accountability Officer Dr. Michael Maher said. “From graduation rates to EOG and EOC scores and school performance grades, students and educators across North Carolina should be proud of this progress.”

Maher said the state’s accountability results do not capture every aspect of the work being done in public schools.

The state’s Accountability Task Force is considering additional measures that could be used alongside academic achievement data to provide a broader picture of student progress and how well schools are preparing students for their next phase of life.

The results are part of North Carolina’s Achieving Educational Excellence strategic plan, which sets goals for the state’s public schools through 2030.