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Columbus County Schools reports midyear gains; district still below state proficiency averages
Summary
Curriculum chief Laura Hunter gave a midyear presentation showing progress on growth metrics, curriculum implementation and FAFSA completion; board members praised attendance gains and discussed long-term recovery from COVID learning losses.
Laura Hunter, Columbus County Schools’ director of curriculum and instruction, told the school board a midyear analysis shows the district is making measurable growth but remains below state averages on overall proficiency.
Hunter framed the district’s work around a strategic goal: by the end of the next school year the district wants 100% of schools at a letter grade of C or higher (a score of 55 or above). She reported current positioning would leave a substantial share of schools below that threshold but showed scenarios in which, if each school met its internal goals, roughly half of schools would reach a C or higher by year-end.
Hunter reviewed five progress categories—grade-level proficiency, student growth, curriculum implementation, lesson-planning fidelity and student investment—and presented school-level examples. She highlighted several schools showing notable growth (CCCA, Acme Delco Elementary) and identified schools needing additional attention (Chadbourne, Hallsboro). Hunter emphasized that proficiency typically lags growth and said coaching cycles, site visits (278 visits reported in first semester) and a focused lesson-planning framework are central to the district’s strategy.
Board members noted attendance gains: Hunter said all 12 schools maintained semester-one daily attendance averages above 90 percent. Hunter also described expanded postsecondary planning: 97 percent of tenth graders had completed initial career development plans and the district’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion rate rose above 60 percent, with about $664,000 in Pell grants recorded thus far.
On recovery from COVID-era learning loss, Hunter and board members said the state projects multi-year recovery (six to eight years in some models) but that the district’s trend lines show steady improvement. No formal action was taken; the presentation was informational.
