State Data Release: CCS reports growth and graduation gains while committing to raise proficiency

By Staff Report, posted Sep 4, 2025 on BizFayetteville.com

Cumberland County Schools (CCS) is highlighting progress in student growth, graduation rates and several tested subjects following the release of the 2024-2025 accountability results by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The district’s overall proficiency rate remained steady at 50.8%, with encouraging gains in key areas and clear opportunities for continued improvement.

Key Highlights

Nearly half of the schools in the district improved their composite proficiency scores.
Math 3 showed the largest subject gain, rising 8.7 percentage points.
The district’s graduation rate increased to 86.%.
78 % of the schools in CCS met or exceeded growth, outpacing the statewide average of about 71%.
The percentage of students meeting the ACT benchmark rose to 50.9%.
Several schools also posted notable gains. Beaver Dam Elementary School increased its composite proficiency by 8.8 percentage points and advanced from a B to an A. Westover Middle School improved its composite proficiency by 6 percentage points, raised its School Performance Grade from a D to a C, and achieved a 99.3 growth index score — the second highest in the district. Additionally, Pine Forest High School earned the maximum converted growth score of 100, the highest in the district.

School Performance Grades

CCS celebrated the removal of four schools from the state’s low-performing list, all of which increased their school performance letter grades and two of which also exceeded growth. However, the district now has 27 schools designated as low-performing for the 2025-2026 school year, up from 15 the prior year. Among these, 18 met growth expectations, eight increased their overall achievement score and seven improved their numerical School Performance Grade.

A Commitment to Improvement

Superintendent Dr. Eric C. Bracy, who began his tenure in CCS on July 1, 2025, emphasized that the district must build on its progress while addressing challenges with urgency.

“There are bright spots in these results, but we know there is still much more work ahead,” he said in a press release. “Our students are counting on us to rise to this moment. We are committed to ensuring that no school in the district is on the low-performing list and that student proficiency rises to place us among the highest-performing school districts in North Carolina. The goal is clear: every student must leave our schools prepared to succeed in life.”

Dr. Bracy added that CCS will continue to implement its PASE (Performance, Accountability, Support and Empowerment) framework to strengthen instruction, support schools and monitor progress. In the coming weeks, district leaders will present a plan to the Board of Education with specific actions, timelines and supports to accelerate improvement across every school, with a deliberate focus on improving schools designated as low performing.

For more detailed information on school- and subject-level results, click here.

Copyright © 2025 Enhanced Media Management Inc. dba Greater Fayetteville Business Journal
This story may be displayed, reformatted and printed for your personal, noncommercial use only and in accordance with our Terms of Service located at https://bizfayetteville.com/useragreement.