JCPS Reaches 12-Year High In Academic Performance

SMITHFIELD, N.C. – Johnston County Public Schools posted gains in student proficiency, graduation rates and school performance during the 2025-26 school year, according to newly released state accountability data.

Overall grade-level proficiency in JCPS increased from 57.2 percent in 2025 to 61 percent in 2026, a gain of 3.8 percentage points. Grade-level proficiency includes students scoring a Level 3, 4 or 5 on state End-of-Grade and End-of-Course assessments.

Statewide, 59.2 percent of North Carolina students reached grade-level proficiency, putting JCPS 1.8 percentage points above the state average. The statewide rate was also the highest in the past three years.

JCPS says its 61 percent performance composite is the district’s highest in 12 years.

The district also reported it now ranks 29th among North Carolina’s 115 public school units based on overall performance composite, up from 83rd in 2019.

Superintendent Dr. David Pearce credited students, teachers, staff and families for the improvement while acknowledging more work remains.

“We are encouraged by these results, but we also recognize that our work is far from finished,” Pearce said. “Our goal is to ensure that every student is prepared to be college, career, and life-ready.”

Graduation Rate Reaches 92.6 Percent

Johnston County also exceeded the state average in its four-year graduation rate.

JCPS reported a graduation rate of 92.6 percent, compared with 88.8 percent statewide.

College and Career Ready Levels

JCPS improved 3.6 percentage points to 37.3 percent of students scoring at College and Career Ready levels. The statewide rate was 37.5 percent, leaving Johnston County two-tenths of a percentage point below the state average.

College and Career Ready proficiency generally represents students scoring Levels 4 or 5 on state assessments, compared with Levels 3, 4 or 5 for grade-level proficiency.

Gains Across Grade Levels

Elementary and middle school proficiency each increased by approximately 3 percentage points.

JCPS remained above state proficiency averages in Grades 3-8 reading and mathematics and in fifth- and eighth-grade science.

High school proficiency improved by 7 percentage points.

Math I performance exceeded the state proficiency rate, while Math 3 was at the state average. Biology posted the largest Johnston County high school gain, improving 11 percentage points.

Biology scores improved sharply statewide as well. North Carolina’s Biology proficiency rate increased from 48 percent to 59 percent, also an 11-point gain.

91 Percent Of JCPS Schools Earn A, B Or C

JCPS reported 91 percent of its schools received an A, B or C school performance grade, compared with 76.6 percent of schools statewide.

State figures show 23 percent of North Carolina schools received a D or F in 2025-26, down from 31 percent the previous year.

Academic growth in Johnston County was largely unchanged from the previous year.

Thirty-six schools met or exceeded expected growth, the same number as one year earlier. That represents 73.5 percent of JCPS schools.

Four Johnston County schools ranked among the top 20 percent statewide for academic growth.

Individual Schools Show Mixed Results

Several schools recorded sizable improvements.

West View Elementary was named the district’s most improved elementary school after its performance composite increased 10 percentage points. Reading improved 10.5 points, math 7.8 points and science 15.1 points.

Its school performance score increased from 72 to 76, while the school maintained a B.

Benson Middle School was the district’s most improved middle school, increasing its performance composite by 8.9 percentage points. Science proficiency increased 18.7 points, reading 8.7 points and math 6.4 points.

The school’s performance score increased from 55 to 60, although it remained a C.

West Johnston High was the most improved high school with a 9.3-point increase in its performance composite. Biology improved 16.3 points, Math 3 increased 11.7 points, Math I rose 8.6 points and English II increased 2 points.

West Johnston’s performance score increased from 66 to 69, but the school remained a C.

North Johnston High moved from a C to a B after its performance score increased from 66 to 70. Overall proficiency increased 7.6 percentage points, including gains of 16.9 points in Math 3 and 14.5 points in Biology.

Smithfield Middle also improved, moving from an F with a numeric score of 39 to a D with a score of 46.

The school’s performance composite increased 5.1 percentage points, including an 8.3-point gain in math and 12.8-point increase in science. Despite the improvement, the school remains among those facing significant academic challenges.

Smithfield-Selma High increased overall proficiency by 8.8 percentage points, the second-largest increase among JCPS high schools.

Math I proficiency jumped 22.8 points, while Math 3 increased 7.7 points and Biology improved 8.7 points.

SSS also met expected growth for the first time under the current accountability model. Its school performance score increased from 62 to 66, the highest score the school has earned under the current model, while remaining a C.

Four Oaks Middle continued to stand out for academic growth. The school recorded a growth index score of 10.73 in 2023-2024, 7.51 in 2024-2025, and 5.2 in 2025-2026.

The school has led JCPS in growth for three consecutive years and remains among the top 10 percent of schools statewide for growth. Four Oaks Middle earned a C with a numeric score of 67, its highest under the current accountability model.

Testing Changes Affect Some Comparisons

There were changes to North Carolina’s testing and accountability procedures for 2025-26 that should be considered when comparing some results with previous years.

The state expanded retesting this year to include third-grade reading, fifth- and eighth-grade science and Biology. The ACT score used in one school performance grade indicator was also changed from 19 to 17 to align with UNC System admissions criteria.

Those changes do not erase the district’s gains, but they mean some year-to-year comparisons were not made under identical testing conditions.

Overall, the results show Johnston County improving across several major measures and outperforming state averages in grade-level proficiency and graduation rates. At the same time, nearly one-quarter of JCPS schools did not meet expected academic growth, College and Career Ready proficiency remains essentially even with the state, and some individual schools continue to post D or C performance grades.

Dr. Pearce said the district plans to continue focusing on both academic achievement and growth.

“We are proud of the historic progress our students and educators have made, and we are committed to building on that success. Our North Star remains student achievement and academic growth. We will continue working collaboratively, identifying opportunities for improvement, and providing our schools with the resources and support they need to help every student reach his or her full potential.”

“Every gain represents a student who has made progress, a teacher who has made a difference, and a school community that has worked together toward a common goal,” noted Dr. Pearce. “The results we are celebrating today give us even greater confidence in what is possible when we keep students at the forefront of everything we do.”