UPDATED (2:25 P.M.): 15 of 17 Lenoir County schools exceeded or met growth in 2017-18

By Bryan Hanks

The grades are in for the Lenoir County Public Schools 2017-18 academic school year – and that’s the reason everyone around the LCPS central office is smiling today.

Fifteen of the 17 schools in the system either met or exceeded growth in criteria set by the state in 2017-18, up from 12 a year earlier. That number includes Frink Middle School and Woodington Middle School, which went from not meeting growth a year earlier to exceeding growth last year, a jump of two categories.

The other great news from the N.C. State Board of Education included:

·      Seven schools (Northwest Elementary, Contentnea-Savannah elementary and middle, Frink Middle, Woodington, Lenoir County Early College High School {LCECHS} and Lenoir County Learning Academy) increased their growth designation, from not meeting growth to meeting growth or exceeding growth

·      Seventy-five percent of middle schools exceeded growth

·      Six schools increased their School Performance Letter Grade, including LCECHS, which earned a School Performance Letter Grade of A – the first time that has happened for a LCPS member

·      A decrease of three low performing schools, from eight to five

·      Every middle and high school increased its proficiency

·      Sixty-six percent of the elementary schools increased proficiency

·      Lenoir County Learning Academy met growth

There were only two schools in the system – North Lenoir High School and Kinston High School – that didn’t meet growth in 2017-18.

UPDATED 2:25 p.m.: The N.C. Department of Public Instruction also released its letter grades for every school in the system in its School Performance Letter Grade program. Here are the grades for every LCPS member, with the School Performance Score in parentheses:

·      Banks Elementary – C (67)

·      Contentnea-Savannah K-8 – C (60)

·      Frink Middle – C (58)

·      Kinston High – D (49)

·      La Grange Elementary – C (63)

·      LCECHS – A (87)

·      Moss Hill Elementary – C (67)

·      North Lenoir High – D (54)

·      Northeast Elementary – D (47)

·      Northwest Elementary – C (55)

·      Pink Hill Elementary – B (76)

·      Rochelle Middle – F (38)

·      South Lenoir High – B (74)

·      Southeast Elementary – F (36)

·      Southwood Elementary – C (67)

·      Woodington Middle – C (62)

This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the afternoon.