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Nash County Public Schools reports highest share of A–C school grades in a decade
Summary
District officials said 74% of Nash County schools earned A, B or C grades — the highest percentage since grading began — and noted gains across grades, subgroups and subjects, plus a higher graduation rate and growth in K–3 literacy and CTE credentials.
Timothy Mudd, executive director of Accountability, Research and Innovation for Nash County Public Schools, told the joint meeting on Oct. 28 that the district posted broad gains on state assessments and accountability measures.
"Seventy-four percent of our schools received an A, B or a C, which is the highest percentage since school performance grades began being assigned, 10 years ago," Mudd said, highlighting proficiency and growth across multiple grade levels.
Why it matters: Mudd said districtwide proficiency across grades 3–12 rose 4.5 points to 48%, the highest since performance grades were first assigned, and the graduation rate increased by 2.5 points from the prior year. He also said 14 of 15 tested subjects showed increases year over year, and 10 subjects have proficiency levels higher than pre-pandemic scores.
K–3 literacy: Mudd highlighted DIBELS and MCLAS screening data showing reduced numbers of students categorized as "at risk" in early reading; he said more than 705 students moved out of the lowest performance category over the year. He also said Nash students outperformed the state average on K–3 reading benchmarks.
Career and technical education: The district also increased industry credentials earned in high school and reported over 250 students participating in work-based learning placements (internships, pre-apprenticeships, job shadowing).
District approach: Mudd and other leaders credited focused classroom instruction, an instructional framework across K–12, instructional coaching, principal accountability and targeted attention to low-performing schools for the gains.
Questions and context: Board members asked about whether the improvement reflected a single model or districtwide alignment; Mudd said the district uses a consistent instructional framework and coaching combined with data-driven targeting of areas that need improvement. Officials cautioned that some school-level comparisons were affected by recent demerger and student reassignments that changed school populations.
Ending: District leaders said they will present the full school budget in March and continue using accountability and intervention strategies to support schools that remain below targets.
