Here's how New Hanover schools compare to local, state districts

Newly released data shows how New Hanover County Schools (NHCS) stack up against other districts across the state for the most recent completed school year. At a Board of Education meeting on Oct. 6, Director of Testing and Accountability Elizabeth Murray presented the district’s annual accountabili

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What is the story about?

Newly released data shows how New Hanover County Schools (NHCS) stack up against other districts across the state for the most recent completed school year.

At a Board of Education meeting on Oct. 6, Director of Testing and Accountability Elizabeth Murray presented the district’s annual accountability report. The data details how the county’s public schools compare to the state average, the 12 largest districts and the surrounding districts.

Across all subjects and grade levels, NHCS reported that 62.9% of students are proficient or meet career and college readiness indicators for the 2025-2026 school year. The state average was 59.2%. Both figures have risen significantly in the past five years, with NHCS reporting 55.7% in 2021, while the state average was 51.4%

in the same year.

“We’re happy to see that steady increase and that we still outperform the state,” Murray said.

Superintendent Chris Barnes pointed out that the district had not seen scores that high since the 2018-2019 school year, while districts across the country experienced setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Murray said that her “favorite graph of all” was the graduation rate trend, which showed that NHCS had risen from 81.6% in 2014-2015 to 89.5% in the most recent year. The district has held graduation rates above the state average since 2018. For 2026, the state average graduation rate was 88.8%.

Murray noted that the current percentage is the district’s highest graduation rate ever.

Rankings among the 12 largest districts

Here are the rankings for all end of grade and end of course subjects in the 12 largest school districts in the state. The percentage reflects the number of students that are considered proficient. New Hanover ranks No. 4, behind Union, Wake and Cabarrus counties.

Union County Public Schools - 73.8%
Wake County Schools - 68.2%
Cabarrus County Schools - 68.1%
New Hanover County Schools - 62.9%
Johnston County Schools - 61%
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools - 60.9%
Onslow County Schools - 56.1%
Cumberland County Schools - 55.7%
Guilford County Schools - 54.5%
Gaston County Schools - 53.5%
Durham Public Schools - 53.2%
Forsyth County Schools - 52.4%

Rankings among surrounding districts

Here are the rankings for all end of grade and end of course subjects in the districts surrounding New Hanover County. The percentage reflects the amount of students that are considered proficient.