NC Public Schools Make State History

During its monthly meeting in November, State Board of Education members found out that public schools made state history this year. Record gains in Advanced Placement (AP) access and achievement are evidence that years of state investment are paying off.

Participation in AP courses, exam completion and number of qualifying score rates of 3, 4, or 5 reached an all-time high in 2025.

A qualifying score on an AP exam provides college credit for the course at most colleges and universities, so these participation and qualifying score gains translate to substantial post-secondary cost savings for students and families.

NCDPI reported that in the 2024-25 school year, more than 97,000 students took at least one AP exam, a 7.3% increase from the previous year. Many students take more than one AP exam, and the number of total exams taken increased by 9.8% from last year.

North Carolina’s students also beat the national average for percentage of qualifying scores for the second year in a row. Of all the tests taken in North Carolina, 72.1% received a 3, 4, or 5 compared to 70.1% for the nation. This represents a 21% increase from 2024.

All racial and ethnic groups and genders contributed to the growth, highlighting the importance of North Carolina’s effort to expand opportunities and instructional quality. Growth was strongest among Black, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian students. For example, participation in AP courses increased 7.5% for Black students and the number of qualifying scores increased 33.5%.

Hispanic/Latino student participation and passing scores also increased dramatically, but American Indian students grew the most. Their participation went up 15.8 % and passing scores increased 49.7%

All regions of the state have reason to celebrate. Every region showed significant growth in the number of tests taken and the number of qualifying scores. The Western region led in growth in the number of exams taken with a 17.5% increase while the Northeast region had the largest increase in number of qualifying scores, growing 28% over 2024.

These gains didn’t happen by chance. The state has provided purposeful, dedicated funding for advance course participation since 2015. General Statute 115C-174.26 requires the state to “enhance accessibility and encourage students to enroll in and successfully complete more rigorous advanced courses to enable success in postsecondary education for all.” These courses include AP and International Baccalaureate (IB) and other advanced courses. The statute also establishes reporting procedures to document progress and encourages the state to exempt students from paying exam fees.

To help build instructional capacity, lawmakers required the State Board of Education to develop a partnership with an organization such as the College Board to form the North Carolina Advanced Placement Partnership. This partnership provides technical assistance and professional development, summer training and AP mentoring programs.

The historic gains in achievement and access represent excellent ROI.

Unfortunately, some lawmakers are no longer interested in promoting advanced courses in public schools. The Senate budget proposal cuts the budget for exam fees and professional development by $17.9 million, effectively making advanced coursework and exam participation inaccessible for thousands of students.

The House budget keeps the AP/advanced coursework funding intact. With no budget yet in place, we don’t know whether the Senate or House version will prevail; funding for the programs is still uncertain.

As a point of comparison, FOUR PRIVATE SCHOOLS together received more funding through the Opportunity Scholarship voucher program in one year than the total proposed cuts to the AP/advanced course program. The four schools received a total of $17,992,130 from the state in 2024-25:

Grace Christian School, Sanford ($5,130,642)
Metrolina Christian Academy, Indian Trail ($4,731,790)
North Raleigh Christian Academy, Raleigh ($4,319,985)
Concord Academy, Raleigh ($3,809,713)

These taxpayer dollars spent on private school tuition for students in just four schools have no public documentation of any academic benefit. In contrast, the AP funding has shown clear documented benefits for public school students and families throughout the state, including college tuition savings for students who achieve qualifying scores.

Which is the better use of public funds?

Contact the budget negotiators (budget conferees) to encourage support for keeping full funding of advanced coursework and professional development. You can email all members at once by using our customizable email template.

Our Contact Elected Officials page also has letter templates for vouchers, teacher pay, and a "write your own from scratch" option. Let the budget conferees know your budget priorities!

More Reasons to Celebrate NC Public Schools!

North Carolina public school educator Valencia Abbott was named Gilder Lehrman Institute National History Teacher of the Year. Ms. Abbott is currently the Social Studies Department chair and a civics educator at Rockingham Early College in Wentworth. Started in 2024, the highly competitive Gilder Lehrman Institute award recognizes excellence in K-12 teaching.

NC public schools continue to be the heart of our communities. Karley Wells, the 2025 Wells Fargo Western Regional Principal of the Year and Haywood County Schools’ elementary supervisor shares the many ways public schools stepped up to help the community during hurricane recovery. She writes, “One of the most touching moments was when a school team delivered food to a hard-hit neighborhood. As they pulled in, a student standing in the street with friends shouted with joy, “It’s my school! I told you they would come!” That simple statement captured so much! It demonstrated the trust our students place in us and the deep connection between schools and the communities we serve.”

NC is home to the best high school in the nation. According to Niche rankings, the best high school in the nation—public or private—is the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham. The rankings include more than 93,000 public schools and 30,000 private schools and are based on a wide range of factors including academics, teachers, culture, resources, diversity, and facilities. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics was created through legislation in 1978 to provide students from across the state access to challenging educational opportunities in science and mathematics.

Four NC schools received State Blue Ribbon Recognition. After the federal Blue Ribbon program was cut this year, North Carolina created its own program, naming the first winners this fall: Apex Friendship Middle School (Wake County), Henderson County Early College (Henderson County), Mills Park Middle School (Wake County), and Pinehurst Elementary (Moore County). There were two categories of schools for the award: Exemplary High Performing and Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing. Three of the four awardees were identified in both categories.

Four NC schools were named America's Healthiest Schools by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Schools are evaluated in nine categories that range from improving nutrition and food access, cultivating staff well-being, and bolstering physical education and activity to increasing family and community engagement. North Carolina’s winners were Bertie Early College High School (Bertie County), Washington Elementary (Guilford County), South Elementary School (Person County), and Williamsburg Elementary School (Rockingham County).

Public schools across the state also stepped up to help fill the gaps left by federal cuts for food support. For example, Holly Ridge and Oak View Elementary Schools battled for which school could raise the most and collectively donated 2,959 pounds of food to the Holly Springs Food Cupboard.

Email us at [email protected] to share more reasons to celebrate!

The House and Senate reconvene on Monday. Governor Stein has called a special session to address the budget and lapses in Medicaid funding, but legislative leaders refuse to meet. It is unlikely that there will be movement on the budget next week.

In addition, the House calendar for Monday includes reconsideration of six bills vetoed by Governor Stein. Four directly affect public education and/or student safety. The Senate has already voted to override Stein’s veto, so if the House also succeeds in getting the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto, the bills will become law.

HB 87 Educational Choice for Children Act (Federal Voucher Program)
SB 50 Freedom to Carry NC (removes restrictions on purchasing handguns and lowers purchase age to 18)
SB 227 Eliminating Diversity Equity and Inclusion in Public Education
SB 558 Eliminating Diversity Equity and Inclusion in Public Higher Education

Check the legislative calendars page for updates throughout the week. Meetings often change times, are cancelled, or are added.

Along with massive cuts to the US Department of Education, which eliminated teacher residency and training grants for rural schools, the Trump administration has announced a $100,000 fee for all new H-1B visa applications.

The H-1B visa is primarily used by employers seeking applicants for jobs in the technical industry, engineers, and researchers. However, they are also used by hundreds of schools, many in rural areas, to fill teaching positions that would remain unfilled if not for international applicants. The new fee went into effect in September 2025.

In Halifax County, 101 of 156 teachers are international. The new fee on H-1B visas will devastate the teaching force.

READ MORE

Contact your US Congressional representatives to urge a school exemption for H-1B visa fees!

By Mallory Matthys BSN, RN, CPN, NC pediatric nurse and PhD student at the University of Texas, Tyler

From mental health crises to suicide attempts, pediatric nurses are seeing their hospitals being flooded with patients newly diagnosed with mental health conditions. Often, parents are confused and have limited resources to help their child. As a pediatric nurse, I have witnessed first-hand the declining mental health of children and the lack of resources for families.

North Carolina is experiencing a worsening mental health crisis among its school-aged children. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, in 2021, 43.4% of high schoolers in North Carolina reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for more than 2 weeks. In 2019, 36.3% of high schoolers indicated that they felt sad or hopeless for more than 2 weeks. Suicide rates are also increasing, with 11 more teenagers aged 15 to 17 dying by suicide in 2023 as compared to 2018 in the state.

While there are resources for mental health concerns in North Carolina, the system is overrun with patients having to wait months for even an initial appointment. Schools are in a unique position to aid the mental health of their students.

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NC Public Schools Make State History

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Addressing the Mental Health Crisis of NC Youth:

A Plea to the NC General Assembly

Hear from NC Superintendent of the Year 2026

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Purple Star Award

Mark Your Calendar!

Request A Speaker!

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