The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) released the Moore County Schools (MCS) School Performance Grades and other accountability measurements for the 2024-2025 school year.
This year, the school district had 22 schools assessed, plus the Community Learning Center at Pinckney, which has different accountability measures. The final School Performance Grades are calculated based on a school’s achievement score (80 percent) and students’ academic growth over one year (20 percent). Of the 22 schools, one received an A grade, nine received a B grade, nine received a C grade, three received a D grade, and no schools received an F grade. Overall, three schools improved by one letter grade.
● Schools receiving an A performance grade are: Pinehurst Elementary
● Schools receiving a B performance grade are: Highfalls Elementary, McDeeds Creek Elementary, New Century Middle, Pinecrest High, Sandhills Farm Life Elementary, Union Pines High, West End Elementary, West Pine Elementary, and West Pine Middle
● Schools receiving a C performance grade are: Cameron Elementary, Carthage Elementary, Connect Academy, North Moore High, Robbins Elementary, Southern Middle, Southern Pines Elementary, Vass-Lakeview Elementary, and Westmoore Elementary
● Schools receiving a D performance grade are: Aberdeen Elementary (up from an F in 2023-2024), Crain’s Creek Middle, and Elise Middle
Fifteen schools met or exceeded growth, down from 17 schools in 2023-2024. Five schools improved their growth status.
“Our students continue to demonstrate steady improvement in both overall student proficiency and student growth,” said Deputy Superintendent Jamie Synan in a press release. “In addition, we continue to exceed the state proficiency averages. It is evident that the dedication and hard work of our students, teachers, and staff continue to move us in a very positive direction.”
Robbins Elementary, previously designated as low-performing, improved its School Performance Grade to a C and is no longer classified as a low-performing school.
Three schools are designated as low-performing, which are those with a letter grade of D or F and a growth status of Met or Not Met. These schools are Aberdeen Elementary, Crain’s Creek Middle, and Elise Middle.
“We are immensely proud of the dedication of our entire team and the progress of our students,” said Dr. Tim Locklair, superintendent of schools, in a press release. “For the third consecutive year, our district boasts an A-rated school, and overall, we continue to perform above state averages. All of our English scores are at a five-year high, and third-, fourth-, and seventh-grade math scores are also at five-year highs. Even with the introduction of a new science assessment this year, our students outperformed the state by 11.8 points in Grade 5, 10.6 points in Grade 8, and 12.9 points in Biology. While we remain committed to focused improvement, we celebrate this significant progress and are excited about the opportunities for continued growth this school year.”
The four-year high school cohort graduation rate for the Class of 2025 was 89.6 percent, continuing to surpass the state average of 87.7 percent.
While the End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) primarily measure student proficiency on curriculum standards, they also generate a Lexile score for each student. Although Lexile bands are not included in the state accountability release, they provide valuable insight into how many students are reading below, at, or above grade level. Among third-grade students, 88 percent are reading at or above grade level. Based on the English II assessment, which is typically taken in 10th grade, 82 percent of high school students are reading at or above grade level.
Elementary and middle school performance grades are based on proficiency scores in reading and math for grades three through eight, and in science for grades five and eight, as assessed by EOG exams. High school performance grades are derived from EOC exams in English II, NC Math 1, NC Math 3, and Biology, along with other indicators such as the Cohort Graduation Rate and the percentage of career and technical education graduates who achieve a Silver Certificate or higher on the ACT WorkKeys assessment.
Data Highlights
● The four-year graduation rate has consistently exceeded the state average for the past 12 years. ○ Moore County Schools achieved a four-year graduation rate of 89.6 percent, exceeding the state average of 87.7 percent.
● Eighty-two percent of 10th-grade students who took the English II EOC are reading at or above grade level, as measured by the EOC Lexile reading level.
● Moore County Schools has no F-rated schools, and 19 schools received a School Performance Grade of A, B, or C.
● As a district, the overall Grade Level Proficiency (GLP) composite is up by 1.3 percentage points (rising from 62.4 in 2023-2024 to 63.7 in 2024-2025) — a five-year high and above pre-pandemic performance. ○ Math EOG composite score is up 2.9 percentage points — a five-year high.
○ Reading EOG composite score is up 3.1 percentage points — a five-year high. ■ All reading assessment scores are at a five-year high.
○ Science EOG composite score is down 4.5 percentage points; however, this year featured new standards and a new test.
○ EOC composite scores remain relatively flat, with a decrease of 0.6 percentage points.
● 90.1% of all third-grade students met the Read to Achieve standard, showing they are on grade level at the end of third grade.
● ACT proficiency is at a five-year high and 6.5 percentage points above pre-pandemic performance; the average ACT composite score is 19.3.
● Fifteen out of 22 schools met or exceeded growth.
● Three schools increased its School Performance Grade, while two schools’ grades declined: ○ Aberdeen Elementary rose from an F to a D.
○ Highfalls Elementary rose from a C to a B.
○ Robbins Elementary rose from a D to a C, coming out of low-performing status.
○ Crain’s Creek Middle dropped from a C to a D.
○ Elise Middle dropped from a C to a D.
● The district currently has three low-performing schools: Aberdeen Elementary, Crain’s Creek Middle, and Elise Middle.
Feature photo by Sandhills Sentinel Photographer Melissa Schaub.
For Moore news delivered straight to your inbox, please click here to sign up for the free Sandhills Sentinel e-newsletter.
Contributed article.
