Superintendent Jackson told the Buncombe County Board of Education on Sept. 4 that the district’s cohort graduation rate for the class of 2025 is 91.4 percent, the second-highest in district history.

"The key takeaway for me is that the cohort graduation rate for the class of 2025 is 91.4 percent," Superintendent Jackson said during opening remarks, noting that the figure narrowly missed the district record by one-tenth of a percent. He said the last three school years represent the three highest cohort graduation rates in system history.

Jackson summarized additional state assessment takeaways: 25 of 27 elementary and intermediate schools met or exceeded reading growth, 31 schools met or exceeded growth overall, one formerly low-performing school lost that designation, four schools improved by a letter grade, and 19 schools improved in grade-level proficiency. Jackson said detailed assessment results will be presented by Dr. Reed at the board's October meeting.

Jackson and other leaders also described operational items for the new school year. He said the district will "once again offer free breakfast and lunch for all of our students," and announced the continuation and expansion of advisory councils — teacher advisory, exceptional children's advisory, student advisory and a new hourly-employees advisory group — intended to give staff and students greater voice in system decisions.

The board watched a prerecorded edition of "BCS Parent University," produced by the district communications office, introducing family-facing tools including the new statewide North Carolina Student Information System (NCSIS), powered by Infinite Campus, the Buncombe County Schools mobile app, and EduLog for real-time bus tracking. Tanner Ulmer, the district communications officer, walked viewers through account setup and features.

No formal action was taken on assessment results at the Sept. 4 meeting; the presentation was an informational report and a fuller assessment discussion is scheduled for October.