“If the state’s new rigorous letter grading system for schools is an indication of school quality, then Haywood County Schools is a top ten school district,” said Dr. Anne Garrett, Superintendent. “Haywood County Schools is among only 10 of 115 school districts in North Carolina to have no “D” or “F” schools.” Dr. Bill Nolte, Associate Superintendent said, “We are so proud of our students, staff and parents. They have worked very hard to make us a high performing district despite significant budget cuts and high poverty rates. We have proven that high poverty does not have to be a determining factor in academic performance.”
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction recently released its North Carolina School Report Cards for the 2014-15 school year. The School Report Cards offer up-to-date information about student achievement and attendance, school safety, school technology and other topics. Schools will send home a cover letter and a report card snap shot summary with students. Complete Report Card information is compiled annually and is available by school, district and the state at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/src/.
Of the state’s over 2,500 public schools and public charter schools, over 2,400 received School Performance Letter Grades. The schools not included in the report may not have any tested grades or may have a transient or very small student population. Typically these schools are K-2 schools, special education schools, alternative schools and hospital schools. The following is the overall distribution of letter grades for both public school and public charter schools.
| Letter Grade | All NC Schools | Charter Schools | Haywood County Schools |
| A or A+ | 2.1% | 7.5% | 13.3% |
| B | 19.1% | 44.8% | 53.3% |
| C | 43.3% | 21.6% | 33.3% |
| D | 29.4% | 18.7% | 0% |
| F | 6.1% | 7.5% | 0% |
* Due to rounding, the percent of schools will not total 100%.
* Central Haywood High School is not issued a letter grade from the state.
The state General Assembly mandated letter grades for schools based upon reading and math. The school’s performance score accounts for 80 percent of the letter grade and student “growth” accounts for 20 percent of the letter grade. For some schools that meet or exceed expected growth, the growth calculation could increase their letter grade. The state letter grade distribution and Haywood County Schools’ letter grades are listed below.
| School | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
| Bethel Elementary | B | B |
| Central Elementary | C | C |
| Clyde Elementary | C | B |
| Riverbend Elementary | A | A+ |
| Hazelwood Elementary | C | B |
| Jonathan Valley Elementary | B | B |
| Junaluska Elementary | B | B |
| Meadowbrook Elementary | C | B |
| North Canton Elementary | B | B |
| Bethel Middle | B | B |
| Canton Middle | C | C |
| Waynesville Middle | C | C |
| Central Haywood | NA | NA |
| Haywood Early College | A | A |
| Pisgah High | C | C |
| Tuscola High | C | C |
Each school will send a copy of the report card home with students during December. For more information regarding school report cards and letter grades, please visit http://ncreportscards.org/src or contact your child’s school.
Contact: Dr. Bill Nolte, Associate Superintendent