FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 4, 2024
Contact: Kevin Smith, Chief Public Information Officer

OCS Excels in Achievement and Growth, Statewide Results Released for 2023-2024 School Year 

Ten out of 13 schools in Orange County Schools earned a school performance grade of C or higher for the 2023-2024 school year, and 12 out of 13 schools met or exceeded growth targets, well above the state averages for both achievement and growth.

Orange County Schools saw significant improvement in 2023-2024, with key areas to focus on for this school year, according to data presented today to the NC State Board of Education (presentation slides, detailed results).

Several OCS schools made marked improvements in 2023-2024:

• Orange High School rose from a C to a B.
• Grady A. Brown Elementary, Gravelly Hill Middle, and New Hope Elementary all exited low-performing status and improved from a D to a C.

Every school in Orange County Schools earned a D or above, and there are no F schools.
 

Superintendent Dr. Danielle Jones, district administrators, and principals have reviewed last year’s results, and on Monday, September 9, staff will present their findings and focus areas to the Orange County Board of Education.

Dr. Jones said, “We are here for one purpose – to serve children, and in Orange County Schools, we all work together to support our teachers and schools to help our students grow academically.

“These results make us proud, because they reflect the effort and accomplishments of our students and staff. These results also clearly show where students need us to improve on our existing strategies. As we continue to expand every school’s capacity to support academic growth, I believe we can meet our goal for every student to graduate with all options open to them in employment, education, or enlistment.”

School Performance Grades (SPG) are calculated according to criteria set by state statute and the North Carolina Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 

Superintendent Dr. Danielle Jones said, 

“We are here for one purpose – to serve children, and in Orange County Schools, we all work together to support our teachers and schools to help our students grow academically.”

A school’s achievement score accounts for 80%. This includes grade level proficiency, end-of-grade or end-of-course tests, and other year-end or one-time measures. Students’ academic growth accounts for 20%, based on how students perform compared to their expected performance, with prior testing results as a baseline. The final grade is based on a 15-point scale.

School Performance Grades

With a districtwide focus on growth to proficiency, students continued to trend upward in achieving Grade Level Proficiency, improving to 54.9% for all tested subjects.

This increase of 2.5% also represents the third consecutive year of improvement overall.

Orange County Schools significantly exceeded the state average for overall performance by each school:

• District: 77% of OCS schools (10 out of 13) earned a C or better, and 23% of OCS schools (3 out of 13) earned a D. There are no failing schools in Orange County Schools.
• Statewide: Across all NC Public Schools, 67% of schools earned a C or better, and 33% earned a D (27%) or an F (6%).
   

 

Students’ Expected Academic Growth 

To measure growth, North Carolina uses a statistical model to compare each student’s predicted test score (based on past performance) to their actual results. Schools are identified as Exceeded, Met, or Not Met based on meeting or exceeding growth targets for students on all tested subjects. 

Twelve schools out of 13 in the district met or exceeded growth targets for students’ academic progress, and 4 exceeded overall expectations – New Hope Elementary, River Park Elementary, Cedar Ridge High, and Orange High. 

Three schools – Central Elementary, Pathways Elementary, and Orange High – improved from “Not Met” to “Met” in 2023-2024.

Orange County Schools also far exceeded the state average for schools that Met or Exceeded annual growth targets:

• District: 92% of OCS schools (12 out of 13) met or exceeded growth for 2023-2024, with 31% (4 out of 13) exceeding growth expectations.
• Statewide: Across all NC Public Schools, 73% of schools met or exceeded growth, with 29% exceeding growth overall, and 27% not meeting growth.

 

Low-Performing Status

Under the current model, schools with grades below C that do not exceed growth are identified as low-performing. The number of OCS schools designated as low-performing fell from five to three overall in 2023-2024.

Success Areas

Highlights in the district’s student achievement scores include continued improvements in reading and math for grades 3-8 overall in 2023-2024. Grade level proficiency in reading improved 1.6% to 49.9%, and math composite scores increased 2.9% to 56.1%.

Grade level proficiency also increased for high school students overall in end-of-course testing, with an improvement of nearly 15% in Math 3 proficiency over the previous year. 

English Learner (EL) progress, as measured on the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs test also improved for a second straight year, up 1.3% to 24% after an 8% increase the previous year. A higher percentage of students are exiting classes for English as a Second Language (ESL), while the number of students identified as EL also continues to increase.

Focus Areas

Instruction and student support in math, science, and reading will be a key area of focus for the coming school year.

• Math 1 proficiency decreased by 0.1% to 34.2%.
• Science scores remained stable or decreased slightly. Grades 5-8 science proficiency decreased 1.9% to 63.3%, and Biology proficiency increased 0.6% to 54.9%.
• Reading proficiency in grades 3-8 improved to 49.9%, but remained below the target of 58.8% set within the district’s strategic plan.
• Grade 5 results in math, reading, and science were lower than other grades tested in those areas.

Four-year cohort graduation rates decreased by 8.1% to 79.7% for the 2023-2024 school year. The percent of OCS 11th graders who scored a 19 on the ACT composite (UNC system admission minimum requirement) was 44%, an increase of 1% over last year. 

Three schools were designated as low-performing: A.L. Stanback Middle, Central Elementary School, and Efland-Cheeks Global Elementary.

Priorities

The Orange County Schools 2021-2026 Strategic Plan supports teachers, all staff, and administrators to help students grow in academic and social-emotional learning. Based on 2023-2024 student and school performance data, the district will roll out and continue developing strategies in these and other key areas:

• Curriculum and Instruction: Reading curriculum based in the science of reading (to Grade 3 and beyond), and math and science curriculum and instruction, will be priority areas to expand growth and increase grade-level proficiency. Intentional collaboration between schools and common formative assessments will help the district establish benchmarks and monitor student progress, in order to provide targeted support for core instruction and intervention at all levels.
   

• Collaboration: School Improvement Teams will continue to identify school goals, and Collaborative Teams in each school’s Professional Learning Community (PLC) will continue to be trained in using every student’s individualized data for instruction and support. A District Improvement and Support Team will analyze district-level data to remove barriers, provide resources, and support school-based teams.
   

• Student Support: Every child in every grade will be supported in setting performance goals and understanding how they will pursue those goals. Graduation plans and career development plans will also guide students in goal setting. Systems of support will emphasize attendance and behavior awareness to increase the amount and quality of instructional time for all students. Using detailed data analysis, schools will target interventions to every child who will benefit from support.
   

• Engagement: Two-way communication between schools and families will empower families to help students be successful. Expanded Family Academy sessions will inform parents about available resources and equip them with tools to support their children’s efforts every day.

On September 9, 2024, district staff will give a detailed presentation to the Board of Education to review recently-released performance data and outline key strategies already in place or forthcoming for the 2024-2025 school year.

The NC Department of Public Instruction has updated "Accountability Data Sets and Reports" to include new 2023-2024 student and school outcomes. 

School Report Cards will be published following a period of statewide data review. View previous School Report Cards for OCS and all NC Public Schools here. 

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