Special to IFN
Academic performance data for the 2024-2025 school year show that Iredell-Statesville Schools has taken some positive steps in improving student achievement.
Twenty of the district’s 35 schools met or exceeded year-to-year academic growth expectations in 2024-2025, and a total of 24 schools increased their overall growth score, according to data released Wednesday by the N.C. State Board of Education and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
Iredell-Statesville Schools’ graduation rate increased from 86.5% to 91.1%, which is above the state average of 87.7%. It is the district’s highest graduation rate in more than 10 years.
“Our school administrators and teachers should feel extremely proud of the work they have accomplished,” Superintendent Jeff James said. “We work to prepare our students—our future—for life outside of the classroom while being funded among the lowest in our state.”
While each school’s efforts contributed to this achievement, several schools made significant gains, including:
♦ Lakeshore Middle School moved from not meeting growth expectations to exceeding growth expectations with a growth index of 2.13 and increased its school letter grade to a C.
♦ The Brawley School met growth expectations and also shifted its school letter grade from a B to an A.
♦ Harmony Elementary School and North Iredell High School exceeded academic growth for the second year in a row.
♦ The Collaborative College of Technology and Leadership exceeded growth expectations for the fourth consecutive year.
I-SS has made been a series of changes in the last year to refocus and realign with the district’s strategic goals. Those included the shift of basing all secondary content coaches at a school, the refinement of professional learning communities, the completion of the AP Academy, which gives rising school administrators intense leadership development courses to prepare them for the next level, and reducing the number of in-school suspension and out-of-school suspension days to keep students in the classroom.
Through a partnership with the Successful Practice Network, Bill Daggett and his team have district administrators create a strong focus on DOK (Depth of Knowledge) and brain-based learning. The additional alignment of DOK across each curriculum department—including Career and Technical Education and International Baccalaureate—helped create a unified understanding for the 2024-2025 school year, district officials said. The Curriculum & Instruction Division’s continuing focus on the science of reading continues the efforts of continued implementation with fidelity to LETRS at the elementary level and Lexia ASPIRE at the secondary level.
Additional Highlights
Iredell-Statesville Schools made gains in End-of-Grade and End-of-Course Tests:
♦ Math 3 made the highest gain going from 53.6% proficiency in 2023-2024 to 61.3% proficiency in 2024-2025.
♦ Sixth-grade math made notable gains to 57% proficiency, up 5% proficiency from the year.
♦ Fourth-grade reading made a 5.3% proficiency gain going from 51.7% in 2023-2024 to 57% proficiency for the 2024-2025 school year.
Seven schools moved from not meeting growth expectations in 2023-2024 to meeting growth expectations in 2024-2025:
♦ Cool Spring Elementary School
♦ East Iredell Elementary School
♦ Lakeshore Middle School
♦ South Iredell High School
♦ Statesville High School
♦ The Brawley School
♦ West Iredell Middle School
Eight schools in Iredell-Statesville improved their letter grade:
♦ Agriculture and Science Early College moved from a B to an A.
♦ Harmony Elementary School moved from a C to a B.
♦ Lakeshore Middle School moved from a D to a C.
♦ South Iredell High School moved from a C to a B.
♦ The Brawley School moved from a B to an A.
♦ Third Creek Elementary School moved from a F to a D.
♦ West Iredell High School moved from a D to a C.
♦ Woodland Heights Middle School moved from a C to a B.
Work to Do
Meanwhile, four district schools — East Iredell Middle School, N.B. Mills Elementary, Third Creek Middle, Troutman Middle — received a grade of F.
The I-SS superintendent said the letter grades do not tell the whole story.
“In North Carolina, the school letter grades only measure two components—academic proficiency and academic growth, but as a school system we do so much more for our students,” James said. “That’s one of the reasons we use customer feedback to analyze the service our families are receiving.”
According to the 2024-2025 I-SS Parent Climate Survey, 82% of parents would give their school a letter grade of an A or a B.
“It’s important to use both pieces of data to drive the direction of our district and to make the biggest impact in the classroom,” James added
While celebrating the 2024-2025 data, district leaders are putting additional processes and instructional strategies in place to address some of the challenges.
A new Closing the Gap taskforce to partner with the community to make strides towards academic proficiency. In addition to this partnership, a Unified PTO was also developed for several schools to make a larger impact. The district will continue its efforts to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers at all grade and subject levels.
Learn More
♦ Read all of the Iredell-Statesville Schools Performance and Growth Data HERE.