North Carolina Students’ Test Scores Alarmingly Low
The early returns on math testing scores for CMS high school students show frighteningly poor results. The list of things to be thankful for when it comes to the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020 are few. However, one is our son was a senior in high school at the time. Although he lost some major life events (prom, his final golf season, a proper graduation ceremony), from an education standpoint, he was done. He’d long since been accepted to Coastal Carolina University and was ready for the next steps in his life.
We never had to navigate the disastrous world of “remote learning.” Early on, there was no way to identify this as anything but a catastrophe waiting to happen. I’ve long since feared that the damage and stagnation in our children’s education by this was going to be huge. And now, as my mother would say, “The chickens have come home to roost.”
An early look at CMS students’ math scores is at best alarming. They show less than 10% of high school students tested were considered career-or-college-ready based on math scores. According to WCNC, the scores are typically not released by the state until fall but were released for CMS on an unofficial basis to compare results to previous years.
CMS’ stated goal for its high schoolers when it comes to mathematics is not just competency (ie passing). The district wants its kids to attain a level that has them prepared for the college and career level(s).
According to these preliminary state math scores, only 803 of the roughly 8,500 students tested this year have reached that level. And that’s jaw-dropping low.
List: Top 25 Best High Schools In North Carolina
Choosing the right school for your child can feel like the most important decision in the world. It’s a factor in where you purchase a home. Should you shell out the big bucks for private school education? How can you set your child up for success? So many parents stress about these decisions for years and years. Good thing Niche.com is here to help with rankings of schools and universities across the country. They recently released their 2023 rankings of schools. This includes K-12 as well as higher education. You can play around with the filters and view the rankings based on a variety of factors. One of the more intriguing, and important levels of schooling is high school. Preparing for college, gaining admission to the best colleges, and even getting credit hours under your belt is so important. So what are the best high schools in North Carolina? Let’s find out.
For this list, we are looking at both public and private schools. The good news the number one spot on this list is a public school. Though it’s a specialized one. The rest of the is mainly private schools (and multiple in Charlotte!) with a couple of public schools mixed in. You also will see two Charlotte area public schools in the Top 25. But where did these rankings come from you may ask? According to Niche:
The 2023 Best High Schools ranking is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Ranking factors include state test scores, student-teacher ratio, student diversity, teacher quality, grade school ratings, and the overall quality of the school district. Read more on how this ranking was calculated.
If you’re struggling with where to send your child to school hopefully this list will help you narrow it down. These are the 25 best high schools in North Carolina.
Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.
