• Dear Parents: 

    We are pleased to provide you with the Gaston County Schools Report Card for the 2016-2017 academic year. 

    As one of the ten largest school districts in North Carolina’s with 55 schools and more than 3,700 employees, we have the privilege of delivering first-rate, individualized instruction to approximately 32,000 students.  All schools have a comprehensive instructional program with opportunities for every student at every ability level.  We offer Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors courses, Career and Technical Education programs, services for exceptional children, and many other academic and student support programs.  

    Gaston County Schools is fully accredited as a quality school system by AdvancED and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.  We are extremely proud of our schools and their strong commitment to high expectations and improved student achievement at all grade levels.  Our strength lies in our highly qualified employees, challenging curriculum, dedicated parents, and caring community. 

    Our students excel in every arena:  in the classroom, on the athletic field, in the performing arts, and through extracurricular activities.  The Class of 2017 earned more than $45 million in academic, athletic, fine arts, and military scholarships, and we had seniors to attend the most prestigious colleges and universities in the state and nation, including Ivy League schools Brown and Princeton.

     More students in Gaston County Schools are achieving proficiency and more schools are exceeding academic growth on the state accountability testing program.  We continue to rank as the safest large school district in the state, and our graduation rate of 88.3 percent is the highest ever.  Since the state first calculated the graduation rate in 2006, Gaston County’s rate has increased 20.2 points, from 68.1 percent to 88.3 percent.  

    The Gaston County Schools Report Card contains important information about student performance, class size, attendance, instructional resources, school safety, and teacher quality.  We encourage you to review the report card data carefully and call your school principal or my office if you have questions. 

    The Board of Education joins me in thanking you for your continued support of our schools.  Working together, we will continue to have many reasons to celebrate Gaston County Schools.

    Sincerely,

    Booker signature

    W. Jeffrey Booker, Superintendent