ASHEVILLE - Nine schools in Buncombe County improved a letter grade, the highest number of schools to improve in a year since the district started tracking the data more than a decade ago.
The Department of Public Instruction recently released school performance grade letters for the 2025-2026 school year, something the state's education department has been doing annually since 2013. The letter grades are based on student performance in certain subjects and are calculated from testing data.
The schools in the Buncombe County district to improve this year were:
Emma Elementary School: D to C
Johnston Elementary School: D to C
Woodfin Elementary School: F to D
Charles D. Owen Middle School: D to C
W.D. Williams Elementary School: D to C
Enka Intermediate:
D to C
North Buncombe Middle School: C to B
North Windy Ridge Intermediate: C to B
Valley Springs Middle School: C to B
Buncombe County Schools Interim Superintendent Jennifer Reed said a three-tiered instructional framework, along with effective teachers and principals, were contributing factors to the improved grades.
The framework, Elevate Buncombe County Schools, has three main domains: the creation of a welcoming classroom environment, intentional instructional design, and the student experience, Reed said.
"I attribute all this success certainly to the initiatives we have at the district level, but to our teachers and to our incredible principals, who are very strong instructional leaders," she said.
The district also saw other specific improvements in student performance.
In grades three through eight, 56% of students were proficient in reading, up 4.6 points from 2024-2025.
In grades three through eight, 58.6% of students were proficient in math, 5.3 points higher than the 2024-2025 school year. The statewide rate was 59.6%.
One data point that saw a significant increase was biology scores for grades nine through 12.
For those students, 61.1% were at grade level proficiency, well above the state rate of 58.5% and 11.8 percentage points higher than the 2024-2025 school year.
Reed attributed the shift to focused professional development for teachers. She also said the state exam has changed and is now focused more on critical thinking, rather than memorization.
"We've had to be really responsive to those shifts and provide teachers the support they need to teach in a way that's mirrored to the state assessment," Reed said.
The achievement gap
Buncombe County Schools, like Asheville City Schools, has an achievement gap between Black and white students.
In all subjects, 32.4% of Black students are proficient, compared to 68.4% of white students. The results are similar in elementary and middle school reading and math.
In reading for grades three through eight, 30.8% of Black students are proficient, compared to 65.9% of white students.
In math for grades three through eight, 27.7% of Black students are proficient, compared to 68% of white students.
The state also has an achievement gap, with 44.2% of Black students proficient among all grades and subjects, compared to 71.1% of white students.
"Achievement gaps do exist, nationwide, statewide, and in our school system. It's very important to us that we do everything we can to close those gaps," Reed said. "We have high expectations for our students, and we truly believe that each and every student can achieve."
Kara Fohner is the Public Safety Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email her at kfohner@usatodayco.com or call her at 980-241-8671.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Record number of Buncombe schools boost letter grades
