Wilkes County Schools · Local News
Wilkes Schools Eliminate All D and F Grades
Wilkes County Schools posted broad academic gains for the 2025–26 school year, with every school in the district earning a performance grade of C or better and 21 of 22 schools meeting or exceeding expected growth.
Wilkes County Schools: Key Results
WILKES COUNTY, N.C. — Wilkes County Schools recorded widespread academic improvement during the 2025–26 school year, including the elimination of all D and F school performance grades across the district.
New state accountability results released this week show the district’s overall performance composite increased by 5.4 percentage points.
Wilkes County ranked fourth among 13 regional school districts and finished above the statewide proficiency average, according to information released by Wilkes County Schools and reported by The Wilkes Record.
Five Schools Improve From D to C
Five Wilkes County schools that previously received D performance grades improved to C grades in the latest accountability results:
- Boomer-Ferguson Elementary School
- C.C. Wright Elementary School
- Mount Pleasant Elementary School
- Mountain View Elementary School
- West Wilkes Middle School
The gains mean no Wilkes County school received a D or F performance grade for the 2025–26 school year.
Four additional schools improved from C grades to B grades, while Wilkes Early College High School maintained an A.
21 of 22 Schools Meet or Exceed Growth
State accountability results also showed that 21 of the district’s 22 schools met or exceeded expected academic growth.
Eight Wilkes County schools exceeded expected growth, while 13 met the state’s expected growth standard.
That puts the overwhelming majority of the district’s schools at or above state growth expectations for the year.
Graduation Rate Climbs to 93.3%
Wilkes County Schools also reported improvement in its four-year graduation rate.
The district’s graduation rate reached 93.3% for 2025–26, compared with 93.2% the previous year.
The rate has risen substantially over the past several years. Three years ago, the district’s four-year graduation rate stood at 88.1%.
For comparison, North Carolina’s statewide four-year graduation rate reached a record 88.8% for the 2025–26 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
ACT and WorkKeys Results Also Improve
The percentage of Wilkes County students meeting ACT or WorkKeys benchmarks also increased.
Benchmark attainment rose from 59.0% to 64.4%, adding another measure of improvement to the district’s latest accountability results.
North Carolina’s accountability system uses several measures to evaluate school performance, including standardized-test proficiency, academic growth, graduation rates and other college- and career-readiness indicators. Statewide, 73% of North Carolina schools met or exceeded expected growth in 2025–26. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
A Major Shift From Recent Years
The new results represent a notable change for several Wilkes County schools that had previously been identified as low-performing.
District records show that Boomer-Ferguson, C.C. Wright, Mountain View, Traphill and West Wilkes Middle were identified as low-performing schools in the 2024–25 accountability cycle. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
The latest results show substantial movement away from those lower performance classifications and broader improvement across the district.
What Happens Next?
The new accountability results will help shape school improvement planning and district priorities during the 2026–27 school year.
The Wilkesboros will continue following Wilkes County Schools, Board of Education decisions and local education developments throughout the school year.
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