Results Are In. OCS Schools and Students Excel!

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.

For a complete OCS report on 2023-2024 results, including highlights and priorities for 2024-2025:

visit the District Accountability page. 

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).

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.

 

View complete details including state reports and district priorities for continuous improvement on the District Accountability page.

Read the complete report here on our website