Academic Achievement and School Report Cards

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Results for 2025-2026 school year

Summary

92 percent of schools meeting or exceeding academic growth expectations
Highest year-to-year increase in student proficiency on state tests
Graduation rate reaches an all-time high of 90 percent
No schools with an F school performance grade
Innovation Schools model a game changer for overall higher academic performance

Academic Growth

Academic growth indicates whether students achieve a year’s worth of academic progress for a year’s worth of instruction. Growth is reported in one of three ways: Exceeded Growth, Met Growth, or Did Not Meet Growth.

For the 2025-2026 school year, Gaston County had 47 of 51 schools (92 percent) to meet or exceed academic growth expectations – this is a significant improvement when compared to the two previous years. In 2024-2025, 71 percent of schools met or exceeded growth, and only 53 percent met or exceeded growth in 2023-2024.

At the elementary school level, W.A. Bess, Carr, Gardner Park, Lingerfeldt, Pinewood, Pleasant Ridge, Rankin, Robinson, Sadler, Sherwood, and Woodhill exceeded academic growth expectations. All 11 middle schools either met or exceeded growth – Belmont, Chavis, Cramerton, Grier, Holbrook, Southwest, and Stanley exceeded expectations. At the high school level, Ashbrook, Cherryville, Stuart W. Cramer, Gaston Early College, Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, Highland, and South Point exceeded expectations.

Student Proficiency

Students in grades 3-8 are tested in reading and math, and a state science test is given in the fifth and eighth grades. High school students take state tests in four subject areas: Math I, Math III, Biology, and English II. Proficiency is based on the number of students scoring a Level III, IV, or V on the state tests.

Gaston’s overall proficiency rate for 2025-2026 is 53.5 percent; the previous year’s rate was 48.4 percent. The +5.1 increase represents the most significant year-to-year increase in student proficiency since the state implemented the current testing model in 2013-2014. Additionally, the 53.5 proficiency rate reflects a +9.4 increase since 2020-2021 when learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic had an effect on student achievement.
When compared to 2024-2025, Gaston County Schools improved grades 3-8 math and reading proficiency at every grade level. The overall math proficiency for grades 3-8 increased by +3.7, and the overall reading proficiency increased by +3.9. The most significant increases in math by grade level were fifth grade (+8.4) and fourth grade (+5.9), and the most significant increases in reading by grade level were third grade (+9.2) and fifth grade (+5.2).
Science proficiency improved for both fifth and eighth grades. When compared to 2024-2025, fifth grade increased by +8.8 and eighth grade increased by +12.7. Science is the tested subject area with the highest student proficiency.
At the high school level, student proficiency increased in Biology (+12.3), Math I (+10.1), and English II (+5.2). Math III was the only subject area with a decrease (-1.7) when compared to 2024-2025.
The elementary schools with the highest student proficiency are Hawks Nest, McAdenville, New Hope, Belmont Central, W.A. Bess, Pinewood, Rankin, Catawba Heights, and North Belmont. Sherwood (+19.1) leads the elementary schools with the most significant increase in student proficiency followed by Sadler (+9.9), Carr (+9.5), Bessemer City Central/Bessemer City Primary (+7.9), and McAdenville (+7.7).
The middle schools with the highest student proficiency are Cramerton, Belmont, Stanley, and Mount Holly. Grier (+8.2), Mount Holly (+6.6), and Holbrook (+6.0) had the most significant increase in student proficiency among the middle schools.
The high schools with the highest student proficiency are Highland, Gaston Early College, Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, and South Point. Ashbrook (+12.4), East Gaston (+10.9), and Stuart W. Cramer (+10.5) had the most significant increases in student proficiency for the high schools.

Graduation Rate

Gaston County Schools achieved its highest graduation rate ever – 90 percent. When the state first calculated the graduation rate in 2005-2006, Gaston County’s rate was 68.1 percent.

Three of Gaston County’s high schools – Gaston Early College, Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, and Highland – have a 100 percent graduation rate, and five schools have a graduation rate that exceeds 90 percent: Cherryville, Stuart W. Cramer, East Gaston, North Gaston, and South Point.

Additionally, seven schools have a higher graduation rate when compared to 2024-2025: Ashbrook, Bessemer City, Stuart W. Cramer, East Gaston, Gaston Virtual Academy, North Gaston, and South Point. Gaston Virtual Academy (+13.0) had the most significant increase in the graduation rate when compared to the previous year, going from 76.3 percent to 89.3 percent.

Gaston’s graduation rate of 90 percent is higher (+1.2) than the state rate of 88.8 for the Class of 2025.

Called the four-year cohort graduation rate, it reflects the percentage of students who entered the ninth grade in 2022-2023 and graduated four years later in 2025-2026. The four-year graduation rate is not the same as the dropout rate, which indicates the number of students who drop out of high school in a given year. Some students need an extra year of high school to complete graduation requirements. The district’s five-year cohort graduation rate is 89.8 percent, which is higher than last year’s rate of 87 percent. The five-year cohort graduation rate reflects the number of students who entered the ninth grade in 2021-2022 and graduated in 2025-2026.

UPDATE: October 1, 2026
The N.C. Department of Public Instruction has updated the graduation rate information for Cherryville, Forestview, and Gaston Virtual Academy. Now, the graduation rate is 92.7 for Cherryville, 88.8 for Forestview, and 92.6 for Gaston Virtual Academy (all increases). The update reflects two students who were verified as completing graduation requirements, and one student who transferred to another district and is no longer in the school’s calculation. With these updates, the district-wide graduation rate for 2025-2026 is 90.1.

School Performance Grades

The state uses the testing and accountability data to give school performance grades, which were assigned for the first time in 2014. On a 15-point grading scale, a school’s performance letter grade is determined using a formula that is based only on two factors: student achievement (test scores/proficiency), which counts for 80 percent of the school performance grade, and student
academic growth, which counts for 20 percent.

The school performance grade should not be interpreted as a comprehensive evaluation that indicates the quality of a school since only select criteria are used to determine the grade. School size, diverse student population, socioeconomics, teacher experience, student learning obstacles, special programs, parental and community involvement, and other factors have an effect on a school’s performance, but are not considered in the grade.

For the 2025-2026 school year, Gaston County had 37 of 54 schools to earn an A, B, or C grade – three schools received an A grade, 15 schools received a B grade, and 19 schools received a C grade. Gaston Early College High School, Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, and Highland School of Technology are the schools with an A grade. No school received an F grade.

When compared to the 2024-2025 year, 45 of 54 schools have a higher school performance score, which is used to assign the school performance grade. The most significant increases (double-digit gains) in school performance scores for 2025-2026 were Sherwood (+20),
Ashbrook (+14), East Gaston (+12), Lingerfeldt (+12), Carr (+11), Pleasant Ridge (+11), and Bessemer City Central/Bessemer City Primary (+10).

Fourteen schools – Belmont Middle, Bessemer City Central/Bessemer City Primary, Bessemer City High, Carr, Cherryville High, East Gaston, Forestview, Lingerfeldt, Pinewood, Pleasant Ridge, Rankin, Sherwood, and Woodhill – received a higher school performance grade when compared to 2024-2025. Additionally, nine schools are within three or fewer points of achieving a higher school performance grade: Ashbrook, Chapel Grove, Gardner Park, Holbrook, Hunter Huss, Sadler, South Point, Stanley, and Tryon. South Point High School is within one point of receiving an A school performance grade.

How do our schools rank for 2025-2026

Top 10 schools for highest student proficiency

Elementary schools with the highest student proficiency

Elementary schools with the most significant increase in student proficiency

Middle schools with the highest student proficiency

Middle schools with the most significant increase in student proficiency

High schools with the highest student proficiency

High schools with the most significant increase in student proficiency

Schools exceeding academic growth expectations

Elementary

W.A. Bess Elementary
Carr Elementary
Gardner Park Elementary
Lingerfeldt Elementary
Pinewood Elementary
Pleasant Ridge Elementary
Rankin Elementary
Robinson Elementary
Sadler Elementary
Sherwood Elementary
Woodhill Elementary

Middle

Belmont Middle School
Chavis Middle School
Cramerton Middle School
Grier Middle School
Holbrook Middle School
Southwest Middle School
Stanley Middle School

High

Ashbrook High School
Cherryville High School
Stuart W. Cramer High School
Gaston Early College High School
Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences
Highland School of Technology
South Point High School

Schools meeting academic growth expectations

Elementary

H.H. Beam Elementary
W.B. Beam Intermediate School
Bessemer City Central Elementary
Brookside Elementary
Catawba Heights Elementary
Chapel Grove Elementary School
Cherryville Elementary School
Costner Elementary
Hawks Nest STEAM Academy
Kiser Elementary School
Lowell Elementary School
McAdenville Elementary School
New Hope Elementary School
North Belmont Elementary School
Tryon Elementary School

Middle School

Bessemer City Middle School
W.C. Friday Middle School
Mount Holly Middle School
York Chester Middle School

High School

East Gaston High School
North Gaston High School

Virtual School

Gaston Virtual Academy

Schools achieving an A or B school performance grade

A - Gaston Early College High School
A - Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences
A - Highland School of Technology

B - Belmont Central Elementary School
B - Belmont Middle School
B - W.A. Bess Elementary School
B - Cherryville High School
B - Stuart W. Cramer High School
B - Cramerton Middle School
B - East Gaston High School
B - Forestview High School
B - Hawks Nest STEAM Academy
B - McAdenville Elementary School
B - New Hope Elementary School
B - Page Primary School *
B - Pinewood Elementary
B - Rankin Elementary
B - South Point High School

*Page Primary (K-1) does not participate in state testing. However, each school receives the same School Performance Grade as its feeder elementary school.

Schools achieving a higher school performance grade

Schools with most significant increase in school performance score

N.C. School Report Cards and Student Achievement

Every year, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction issues a report card for each public school and public school district in the state. The report card provides information about academic achievement, student performance, teacher qualifications, school environment, and other topics.

The test scores released September 2, 2026 by the state are preliminary results. The results will be verified, and the official results will be a part of the district and school report cards that are compiled by the state.

You may visit the N.C. School Report Cards website for additional information. If you have a question about the state report card for an individual school, contact the principal.

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