- Phoenix Academy High School
- Homepage
Record-high graduates, student growth shown in latest school performance data
The State Board of Education approved the 2023-24 school performance data, and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released the outcomes on Wednesday, September 4.
- CHCCS is pleased to announce an on-time graduation rate of 93.9%, outpacing the state rate of 86.9%.
- 967 graduates is a new record high count for CHCCS!
- District achievements included a 69.8% passing rate on all state exams, the highest in all of North Carolina.
- 14 (73.7%) CHCCS schools earned A or B grades, up from 66.7% in 2022-23.
- 14 CHCCS schools Exceeded or Met Growth expectations.
- In CHCCS, students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students exceeded growth expectations at rates that surpassed their statewide peers.
"It is such a joy to witness our students learning and growing every day here in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools," said Dr. Nyah Hamlett, superintendent of CHCCS. "This growth has empowered us to unapologetically provide the high-quality, affirming and engaging learning environments that our dedicated educators and staff thoughtfully design to support each student.
"We also recognize that growth isn’t always a straight line. It often requires stepping back, reflecting and learning before moving forward in ways that exceed expectations. It’s through this process that we create the conditions for our students to realize their internal gifts and experience joy as they discover who they are becoming. We are grateful for the hard work of our students, the partnership of our families, and the commitment of our community to ensuring success for all," said Dr. Hamlett.
Successes:
- The District had its highest number of graduates ever at 967, up from the previous record of 914 in 2021-22, and from 894 last year. CHCCS’ on-time graduation rate was 93.9%. The state graduation rate was 86.9% in 2023-24.
- The proportion of Black students who earned grade-level proficiency on the High School End-of-Course tests rose by 3 percentage points to a level higher than the pre-COVID value.
Areas for Focus:
- 77.8% of CHCCS schools (14 schools) Exceeded or Met Growth expectations, down from 83.3% the year prior; four schools did not Meet Growth expectations.
- The proportions of students who achieved grade-level proficiency or greater were down compared to 2018-19 (pre-pandemic), but comparable to the 2021-22 and 2022-23 levels.
"As we move forward," Dr. Hamlett said, "we remain focused on growth to proficiency for every student, keeping our eyes on the goal of sustainable, measurable progress. Our 2027 Strategic Plan will guide us in returning key data points to pre-pandemic highs and beyond. But it's important to remember that state exams are just one measure of success. When we stay true to our core values—engagement, collective efficacy, social justice action, wellness, and joy—our students graduate with the skills and experiences they need to thrive on their life’s journey after they leave us."
School Performance Grades
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) has two separate measurement systems: School Performance Grades (SPG) and Long Term Goals and Interim Targets (LTG). School Performance Grades are a combination of achievement in levels 3, 4 or 5 (80%) and growth (20%). Grades for schools are on a 15 point scale: 85+ A, 70-84 B, 55-69 C, 40-54 D, 39 or less F.
- North Carolina (NC): 27.8% of schools statewide earned an A or B grade in 2023-24, compared to 26.7% in 2022-23.
- Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS): 73.7% of schools earned an A or B grade in 2023-24, compared to 66.7% in 2022-23.
- 15.8% of School Performance Grades for CHCCS were A’s, as compared to 7.5% for NC.
- 57.9% of CHCCS grades were B’s, as compared to 20.3% for NC.
- 26.3% of CHCCS grades were C’s, as compared to 38.8% for NC.
- No CHCCS school earned a D or F grade, as compared to 33.5% for NC.
- Elementary and Middle schools also receive School Performance Grades for Reading and Mathematics separately.
- In Reading, CHCCS had 66.7% A’s or B’s, while NC had 15.2%.
- In Mathematics, CHCCS had 73.3% A’s or B’s, while NC had 27.0%.
Growth
- North Carolina (NC): 72.6% of schools statewide Met or Exceeded Expected Growth in 2023-24, compared to 72.3% in 2022-23.
- Statewide, 28.7% Exceeded growth expectations in 2023-24, as compared to 28.3% in 2022-23.
- CHCCS: 77.8% of schools Met or Exceeded Growth Expectations in 2023-24, compared to 83.3% in 2022-23.
- In CHCCS, 44.4% Exceeded Growth in both 2023-24 and 2022-23.
- Four CHCCS groups had higher proportions of Exceeded Growth Expectations than the State for 2023-24:
- Students with Disabilities, 14.3% CHCCS vs. 9.0% NC
- Economically Disadvantaged Students, 22.2% CHCCS vs. 19.2% NC
- White Students, 38.9% CHCCS vs. 23.2% NC
- Asian Students, 50.0% CHCCS vs. 33.6% NC
TSI (Technical Support & Improvement) Statuses
TSI statuses are Federal school identifications for schools who had the same group with an F grade for three consecutive years, or whose group scored below the highest CSI-Low Performing School (CSI - Comprehensive Support & Improvement).
- NC: Statewide, in 2023-24, there were 1,843 schools with a TSI designation, down from 1,890 schools in 2022-23.
- CHCCS: In 2023-24, there were eight schools with a TSI designation, up from four schools in 2022-23.
Student achievement data for the 2023-24 school year are based on analysis of all End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) tests. The data provide the percentage of students who scored at Level 3 and above (grade level proficiency), at Level 4 and above (college and career readiness) and at each academic achievement level.