See how Wake and every other NC public school fared in 2024-25 test results
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Statewide passing rate rose to 55%, marking four consecutive years of gains
- Wake County improved to 64.4% proficiency and cut F-rated schools to just two
- Triangle districts saw gains, though most still trail pre-pandemic benchmarks
State test results are now out showing how every North Carolina public school fared during the 2024-25 school year.
The results released at Wednesday’s State Board of Education meeting show that 55% of students passed state exams last school year. Fewer schools earned D and F performance grades, and fewer schools were labeled as low-performing than the year before.
Performance is still below pre-pandemic levels. But it has now gone up four years in a row.
Schools are given an A through F letter grade from the state. The grade is largely based on passing rates on state exams so high-poverty schools on average have lower grades than affluent schools.
‘Steady gains’ in Wake County
In Wake County, the proficiency rate on state exams rose to 64.4%, up from 64.2% in 2024.
Wake isn’t yet at its overall pre-pandemic passing rate of 65.2% from the 2018-19 school year.
But 53% of Wake’s schools received an A or B grade, which is higher than pre-pandemic levels. Also, only two Wake schools received an F grade, which is the lowest total since before the pandemic.
Wake’s graduation rate fell from a record 91.3% in 2024 to 90.6%. But Wake is still higher than the state average and higher than pre-pandemic levels.
“This year’s results reflect both our successes and our challenges,” Wake Superintendent Robert Taylor said in a news release. “We are proud that our graduation rate remains strong, that more students are persisting to complete high school, and that we continue to see steady gains in math and reading proficiency. At the same time, we know we must sharpen our focus on areas where progress has slowed..”
Math gain in Wake County
Wake promoted its math gains. Elementary and middle school math proficiency improved by 1.2 percentage points overall. The passing rate on Math 3, which is taken in high school, was up 7.4 points
The Math 3 gains helped fuel an overall 8.6-point gain in the passing rate for Millbrook High School in Raleigh. A key element to that success is how they’ve developed a culture where students know that they matter to teachers, according to Millbrook High Principal Brian Saunders.
“It is noticeable within a teacher’s classroom when the relationship is present and where it’s positive and the student knows that the teacher truly cares about them and cares about their progress,” Saunders told reporters. “And that’s the culture that I was talking about earlier that we are building here at Millbrook.”
The strong teacher-student relationship, along with support from his parents, helped Jamar Smith pass Math 3 last school year. Smith scored 30 points higher than his projected score, based on past results, according to his teacher, Rachel Skipper.
“Once I saw my test score, I was in shock because I didn’t expect it to be that good,” Smith, 16, now a junior, told reporters..
Triangle district scores
The overall test results were also up in the other Triangle school districts:
- Chapel Hill-Carrboro has the second-highest passing rate of any district in the state at 70.3%. It’s up from 69.8% in the 2023-24 school year. The district is trying to reach its 2018-19 passing rate of 75.5%.
- In Chatham County, the proficiency rate on state exams rose to 60.3%. It’s up from 57.8% the prior school year. The district is trying to reach its 2018-19 passing rate of 62.4%.
- In Johnston County, the proficiency rate rose to 57.2%, up from 56.4% the previous year. The district is well ahead of its pre-pandemic passing rate of 52.9% from the 2018-19 school year.
- In Orange County, the proficiency rate rose to 58.4%. up from 54.9% the prior year. The district is trying to reach its 2018-19 passing rate of 59.6%.
- in Durham, the proficiency rate rose to 48.4%, up from 47% the previous year. The district is trying to reach its passing rate of 49% in the 2018-19 school year.
Both Chatham and Orange counties promoted how they each had for the first time all of their schools meeting or exceeding academic growth expectations on state exams. Only three districts statewide had 100% of their schools meeting or exceeding growth.
“With 100% of our schools meeting or exceeding growth, every one of our schools has many reasons to be proud. The consistent effort of our educators and the alignment of our resources and support are helping to set children in Orange County Schools on a path to brighter futures,” Orange County Superintendent Danielle Jones said in a news release. “We are proud of the work that we are doing. We also see where we can continue making improvements that ensure every child is supported. We will continue pursuing our shared goal for every student to graduate with all options open to them in employment, further education, or enlistment.”
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This story was originally published September 3, 2025 at 10:13 AM.
