2024-2025 Accountability Highlights

Wilson County Schools experienced increases in overall proficiency and growth for the 2024-2025 school year and is now ranked 34th out of 115 districts in overall proficiency compared to 37th in the state last school year. This is the highest state ranking the district has ever achieved! Wilson County Schools is only 2.5% away from being one of the top 20 performing districts in the state. Students scored at 56.4% proficient overall, an increase of 0.3% compared to the previous year. The highest percentage in the state was 70.7%. 

"I'm so proud of our students for their incredible performance and grateful to our teachers, staff, administrators and district leaders for their dedication and commitment. This kind of sustained success isn’t easy, and it reflects the shared commitment to student success of our entire Wilson County Schools Family. Our district has made great progress, and I know it will continue,” said Superintendent Dr. Lane Mills. “While we celebrate the great results, it's important to remember our students are more than just test scores. We love them and are committed to helping them realize their full potential.”
 

Proficiency
The proficiency gains, which refers to the percent of students achieving at grade level on the End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) tests, by subject were: 

• Reading 3-5 EOG: increased 1.2% to 57.1% proficient
• Reading 6-8 EOG: increased 5.0% to 55.8% proficient
• Overall Reading EOG: increased 3.2% to 56.4% proficient
• Math 3-5 EOG: increased 0.8% to 65.2% proficient
• Math 6-8 EOG: increased 5.7% to 53.0% proficient
• Overall Math EOG: increased 3.6% to 59.1% proficient
• Science 5 EOG: decreased 12.8% to 61.3% proficient (new test and no retest)
• Science 8 EOG: decreased 13.0% to 53.7% proficient (new test and no retest)
• Overall Science EOG: decreased 12.9% to 57.3% proficient (new test and no retest)
• English 2 EOC: decreased 2.0% to 59.8% proficient
• Math 1 EOC: decreased 4.3% to 27.8% proficient
• Math 3 EOC: increased 4.0% to 73.6% proficient
• Biology EOC: decreased 3.6% to 44.3% proficient (new test and no retest)

Wilson County Schools increased overall proficiency by 0.3% and as a result, our ranking among the 115 NC school districts increased three places to 34th. Here’s a look at where we have ranked historically: 

• 2016 - 90th (47.4% Grade Level Proficiency - GLP)
• 2017 - 89th (48.5% GLP)
• 2018 - 59th (57.6% GLP)
• 2019 - 58th (57.2% GLP)
• 2020 - Covid Year (no results)
• 2021 - 71st (40.0% GLP) – Remote Instruction year; reset baseline
• 2022 - 56th (49.8% GLP)
• 2023 - 41st (55.2% GLP)
• 2024 - 37th (56.1% GLP) 
• 2025 - 34th (56.4% GLP) – Highest State Ranking Ever!

56.4% is only 2.5% away from a top 20 ranking! The highest district in the state was 70.7%.
 

Growth
The district’s growth scores indicate the tremendous work of students and staff. Growth is a measure based on achieving one year’s worth of learning for students. If a school exceeds expected growth, that means it has a growth score at or above +2.00 where students are growing more than expected within a year. Met growth indicates a growth score between -2.00 and +1.99 where students are growing as expected within a year. 

Growth Highlights:

• 21 of 24 schools met or exceeded expected growth
• All elementary schools met or exceeded expected growth
• 4 of 5 middle schools exceeded expected growth
• 11 schools exceeded expected growth: 
  • Darden Middle, Elm City Middle, Forest Hills Middle, Hearne Elementary, Lee Woodard Elementary, Lucama Elementary, New Hope Elementary, Speight Middle, Stantonsburg Elementary, Wilson Academy of Applied Technology and Wilson Early College Academy
• 19 out of 24 schools ranked in the top half across the state for growth
• 70.5% of schools in NC met or exceeded expected growth

School Performance Grades

North Carolina School Performance Grades are calculated with 80% of the score based on a school's Achievement Score (student proficiency on standardized tests) and 20% based on Academic Growth. The combined score is converted to a 100-point scale, and then assigned a letter grade.

A Schools

• Lucama Elementary
• New Hope Elementary 
• Wilson Academy of Applied Technology
• Wilson Early College Academy 

B Schools

• Elm City Middle
• Gardners Elementary
• Rock Ridge Elementary 

C Schools

• Barnes Elementary
• Frederick Douglass Elementary (was only 1 proficient score from a B)
• Jones Elementary
• Lee Woodard Elementary
• Stantonsburg Elementary
• Vinson-Bynum Elementary
• Wells Elementary
• Forest Hills
• Speight Middle
• Springfield Middle
• Beddingfield High
• Fike High
• Hunt High
• Wilson Academy of Virtual Education

D Schools

• Darden Middle
• Hearne Elementary
• Vick Elementary

*Schools in bold improved by one letter grade from the previous year.

*Daniels Learning Center participated in the alternative accountability model and was Progressing for the second consecutive year. There are 3 categories of performance levels for alternative schools: Progressing, Maintaining and Declining. Progressing is the highest level.

 

Graduation Rate

The cohort graduation rate for Wilson County Schools is 83%. This is the third year in a row that it is above 80%.

• 363 students earned 915 Career and College Promise (CCP) courses for college credit
• The Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Pass Rate was 70.23%
• The International Baccalaureate (IB) Exam Pass rate was 70%

 

Additional School Highlights

• Forest Hills Middle and Wilson Early College Academy are in the top 5% of growth statewide.
• Lee Woodard Elementary and Wilson Early College Academy are two of only 66 schools in North Carolina, out of 2,590 schools, to exceed expected growth each year from 2017 through 2025.
• Middle Schools across the district grew in proficiency in all grade levels (6, 7, and 8) in both reading and math.
• Barnes Elementary has moved from an F Performance Grade in 2019 to a D in 2022-2024 to now a C in 2025. This is their first C. Barnes exited the state designation of Low Performing and is on pace to exit Continually Low Performing status with another year of staying out of Low Performing status.
• Elm City Middle achieved two “firsts” in 2025: their first B Performance Grade and their first time exceeded expected growth. 
• Hearne Elementary exceeded expected growth for the second time in three years. Hearne has now exited Low Performing and Continually Low Performing statuses.
• Lucama Elementary earned its first-ever A Performance Grade in 2025.
• Wilson Early College Academy has consistently earned an A Performance Grade since the inception of the grading system in 2014.
• Wilson Academy of Applied Technology maintained their A Performance Grade for the third straight school year.
• New Hope Elementary earned its first A Performance Grade since the 2018-2019 school year.