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Gaston County reports modest statewide test gains, fewer low-performing schools
Summary
District officials told the school board on Sept. 15 that 2024–25 state accountability results show modest gains in math and reading proficiency, improved academic growth at most schools and a drop in the number of schools the state labels low-performing.
GASTONIA, N.C. — Gaston County Schools officials presented the district's 2024'1 2025 state accountability results to the Board of Education on Sept. 15, saying several measures moved in a positive direction even as proficiency remains below state averages. Associate Superintendent Tanya Kales and Chief Accountability Officer Kelly Cunningham led the presentation to the full board.
Why it matters: State accountability results guide school- and district-level priorities, influence interventions and inform community conversations about staffing, curriculum and support for struggling students.
Districtwide outcomes presented by officials showed incremental gains in the district's math and reading grade-level proficiency (GLP) rates and improved academic growth for many schools. Officials reported 49.8% GLP in math (grades 3—) for 2024'5, an increase of 2.3 percentage points from the prior year; reading GLP (grades 3—) rose to 45.3%, up 1.8 points.
Kelly Cunningham said the district set three academic goals last year and reported progress against those goals at the meeting. She described changes in individual grades and subjects, noting increases at several elementary and middle grades and mixed high-school results: high-school NC Math 1 proficiency declined while NC Math 3 increased.
Officials emphasized growth as well as proficiency. Of 51 schools that received growth data, 36 (71%) met or exceeded growth — a 16-point improvement from the prior year and slightly above the state average cited by staff. Cunningham read the list of schools that exceeded growth, which included Greer Middle School, Southpointe High School, Highland School of Technology and Ashbrook High School.
The district reported a decline in the number of schools the state identifies as low-performing: 19 schools in the prior year versus 15 for 2024'5. Cunningham cautioned that some schools with letter grades of D or F can be removed from the low-performing list only if they exceed growth, a distinction she said the district is monitoring.
Graduation rates were highlighted as a major success: the four-year cohort rate rose to 88.8% (up 2.1 points) and the five-year cohort rate to 87% (up 1.1 points), both described by staff as above the state average.
Board discussion and next steps: Board member A.M. Stevens called the results "a win," noting the upward trajectory while acknowledging more work remains. Cunningham told the board the academic services team will present a district plan next month to accelerate progress and pursue larger year-over-year gains.
Officials said some indicators (for example, WorkKeys participation and results) will be the subject of root-cause analysis and steering committees to design targeted responses. No formal policy actions were taken during the presentation; the item was informational and will lead to follow-up planning.
The presentation included detailed grade-by-grade and subject-level percentages for math, reading and science, the list of schools that improved their school-performance grades, and the district's current list of schools identified for low-performance interventions.
