From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C.  Nine schools in Buncombe County improved a letter grade for the 2025-2026 school year, marking the highest number of Buncombe schools to move up in a single year since the district began tracking the metric over a decade ago. 

The data, recently published by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, highlights significant progress across multiple academic areas for Buncombe County Schools.

Key achievements and data points are as follows:

• Low-performing schools: The district saw four fewer schools designated as low-performing compared to the previous year.

• Reading proficiency: Performance reached the district’s highest recorded level for every grade from third through eighth, with 56 percent of students testing proficient, which amounted to a 4.6 percent increase from 2024-2025.

• Math proficiency: A district record was reached in five out of six grade levels between third and eighth grade, averaging 58.6 percent proficiency.

• Biology gains: High school biology scores saw a major jump, with 61.1 percent of students achieving grade-level proficiency, outperforming the state average of 58.5 percent and climbing 11.8 percentage points from last year.

• Broad improvement: A total of 41 schools improved their overall grade-level proficiency, with gains made in 19 out of 20 grade-level subject areas.

Interim Superintendent Jamie Reed, who is now the permanent superintendent, attributed these milestone successes to intentional district initiatives, strong instructional leadership from school principals, and focused professional development that helps teachers align with the state’s updated, critical-thinking-based exam format.

Conversely, when analyzing the recent increases in school performance letter grades across Buncombe County Schools, critics and education advocates reportedly have pointed to structural inequities and calculation flaws rather than celebrating the higher marks at face value.