A Snapshot of North Carolina’s High School Graduation

Across the nation, historic challenges and movements are changing both the current status of public education and the future of how and what graduates will learn in years to come. COVID-19 has put students behind computers, creating challenges like feeding students, reaching their homes and providing effective online instruction. Recent movements around anti-racism have re-ignited debates around access to education, achievement gaps and public education’s role in public safety.

All these considerations raise an important question: in the face of public education challenges, which North Carolina schools are doing well?

A new study from the United Way of the National Capital Area offers one answer. The study, which reported the graduation rates of top MSA counties nationwide, found that North Carolina’s county with the highest graduation rate was Jones County, with a 98% graduation rate.

That rate is substantially higher than North Carolina’s average high school graduation rate of 86.5%.

How has the county brought up graduation rates? Across 115 districts, meal programs, teacher funding, and even dual-language curriculums may contribute to increased achievement among students. As school districts reconsider practices and funding, prioritizing programs like these might support higher graduation rates.

Programs, policies and funding that encourage higher graduation has major implications for the next generation of students. The same United Way study found that in North Carolina, child poverty among children whose parents graduated high school is 16% less than poverty among children whose parents did not.

As poverty often affects educational success, the cyclical pattern of poverty and graduation signal the need for programs that invest in graduation now to ensure greater impacts in the future.

While much of the conversations around success, graduation and community investment center around the future, North Carolina’s public schools current state is at a pivotal moment. As most of our schools are learning the ropes of virtual schooling, one school has been remotely teaching students since 2007. NC Virtual Public School enrolls students from almost every district in the state, and with many schools shutting their doors, they’ve taken the lead in educating teachers that normally work in a school-setting and sharing their expertise through webinars and online resources.

Some school districts in the state are seeking assistance in closing racial achievement gaps, a major topic of current conversations. According to a study from CEPA, Asheville City Schools had the 5th largest gap in the country, and Chapel-Hill Carrboro Schools had the 2nd largest gap. State leaders ability to lead or follow during crucial moments will contribute to North Carolina’s success.

There are infinite intricacies that contribute to high school graduation rates, and North Carolina residents should definitely consider how their state is supporting students to achieve, both now and in the future.