Marble – The 2024 N.C. Report Cards are in, with some Cherokee County Schools showing slight declines in letter grades over the previous two years.
All but one campus received grades of C or better, however. The report cards evaluate test results and growth from each school and awards letter grades based on the results.
None of the 12 schools in Cherokee County that were evaluated improved since 2023 grades were released. Two schools, Peachtree Elementary and Tri-County Early College, showed slight declines. The Oaks Academy was not graded.
The highest grades were awarded to Murphy High School, which has received a B for each of the past three years, and Tri-County Early College, which received a B (it received an A in 2023 and a B in 2022).
Andrews Elementary School received a D, which it has received a D for the past three years. The last time the school received a C was 2019. Grades were not awarded in 2020 and 2021.
Still, Andrew Elementary exceeded school growth, joining Andrews Middle, Murphy Elementary and Murphy High schools for that distinction.
“School Academic Growth represents the academic progress of a student compared to the average progress of students across the state in a given grade and/or subject,” according to the report card.
“When the state has compelling evidence that the students in a school are progressing far above the average, we consider the school to be exceeding expected growth. When there is evidence that the students in a school are progressing consistent with the average, we consider that school to meet expected growth.”
Superintendent Keevin Woody described the growth index as like running around a track. One lap is comparable to meeting growth. More than a lap exceeds growth, while less than a lap falls short of growth.
Growth goals were met at Hiwassee Dam high and middle schools, Martins Creek Elementary, Murphy Middle, Peachtree Elementary and Tri-County Early College High schools. Andrews High and Ranger Elementary schools did not meet growth.
These were the second full-year school report cards issued under the leadership of the current school board and Woody. Cherokee County Schools has not performed as well as it did in 2019, when most of the campuses received higher grades.
In surrounding counties. Robbinsville Middle School in Graham County received an F, with Robbinsville elementary and high schools earning a C. All of Clay County’s four schools received a B except Hayesville Middle School, which received a C.
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- Letter grades are calculated using a school’s testing achievement score (80% of the grade) and growth score (20%). With C being average, C’s are the most common grade awarded throughout the state.
Full data, including letter grades, has been posted online by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction at ncreports.ondemand.sas.com/src/?county=Cherokee.