Dare County Schools

Each of eleven schools in Dare County met or exceeded the state’s expectations for academic growth in a single school year for 2009-2010, as measured on end-of-year tests in grades three through twelve. Students at these six schools demonstrated “expected” growth: Manteo Elementary, Nags Head Elementary, Cape Hatteras Secondary School, Dare County Alternative School, First Flight High School, and Manteo High School. The following five schools earned recognition for “high growth” by surpassing the state’s requirements for academic improvement in a year: Cape Hatteras Elementary School, First Flight Elementary School, Kitty Hawk Elementary School, First Flight Middle School, and Manteo Middle School.

In addition to recognition for students’ academic progress in a year, schools may also qualify for tiers of achievement based on the percentage of their students who are at or above grade level. The highest level of recognition in this category is called “School of Excellence,” referring to schools with at least 90 percent of its students who are at or above grade level. Only eight percent of schools in North Carolina achieved this designation, including Dare County’s Kitty Hawk Elementary School, where 93.4 percent students in grades three through five were at or above grade level.

The next level of recognition is “School of Distinction,” a title reserved for schools in which 80 to 89.9 percent of students met or exceeded grade level standards. Seven of Dare County’s ten regular schools, or 70 percent, qualified for this honor, compared to only 29 percent of schools across the state. “Schools of Distinction” in Dare County and their student proficiency rates were: Cape Hatteras Elementary School (85%); First Flight Elementary School (87.3%); Nags Head Elementary School (80.4%); First Flight Middle School (89.4%); Manteo Middle School (84.1%); First Flight High School (88.0%); and Manteo High School (89.9%).

Schools with 70 to 79.9 percent of students at or above grade level earn recognition as “Schools of Progress.” These two schools in Dare County qualified: Cape Hatteras Secondary School (76.2%) and Manteo Elementary School (76%).

“We’re pleased that all eleven schools were recognized for academic growth and/or high student proficiency,” said Superintendent Sue Burgess. “Teachers, students, and administrators have worked so hard to increase the percentages of students on or above grade level.”

“Kitty Hawk’s designation as a School of Excellence is very exciting. To think that five other schools were only five percentage points or less away from the state’s highest honor should provide encouragement for next year. These scores show that our teachers are on the right track,” Burgess remarked.

The Department of Public Instruction also released on-time graduation rates for the Class of 2010. Dare’s rate was 90.5 percent, up slightly from 90.2 percent for the Class of 2009. The state’s overall on-time graduation rate was 74.2 percent in 2010. “In 2009 we were the top-ranked district in the state and the only district to break the 90 percent threshold for on-time graduates” said Burgess. “We don’t know yet how the Class of 2010 ranks statewide, but it is certainly remarkable to improve on the record set by the Class of 2009,” Burgess concluded.