2025-26 WCS Report Card Letter
Dear Wilkes County Schools Community,
I am filled with tremendous pride to share the state accountability results for the 2025-2026 school year, which highlight a year of extraordinary progress, growth, and achievement across Wilkes County Schools. Thanks to the hard work of our students, the dedication of our educators and staff, and the unwavering support of our parents and community, our district has reached milestones that showcase what we can accomplish when we work together.
The latest state report card metrics reflect broad academic growth throughout our district, driven by a 5.4 percentage point increase in our overall performance composite from the previous academic year. With this performance, Wilkes County now ranks fourth out of 13 regional school districts and sits about North Carolina's statewide proficiency average.
Perhaps most inspiring is the progress recorded across all 22 of our campuses. I am proud to share that we have completely eliminated all "D" and "F" school performance grades across the district. Five schools previously identified as low-performing Boomer-Ferguson Elementary, CC Wright Elementary, Mt. Pleasant Elementary, Mountain View Elementary, and West Wilkes Middle School elevated their performance marks from a "D" to a "C," officially removing them from low-performing designation. Progress extended across higher-performing campuses as well, with Millers Creek Elementary, Wilkesboro Elementary, East Wilkes High, and Wilkes Central High advancing from a "C" to a "B," while Wilkes Early College High School maintained its prestigious "A" rating.
Overall, 21 of our 22 schools met or exceeded state growth targets. Eight of those campuses earned the official designation of exceeding expected growth, including Boomer-Ferguson, Millers Creek, Moravian Falls, North Wilkesboro, and Roaring River elementaries, alongside West Wilkes Middle, North Wilkes High, and Wilkes Early College High.
We also experienced remarkable, equitable gains across historically underserved student populations. In mathematics, growth index scores for Students with Disabilities, Economically Disadvantaged Students, Hispanic students, and English Learners all made significant leaps, moving into the category of exceeding state growth targets. Reading growth followed a similar upward trajectory, with Students with Disabilities successfully reaching the threshold for meeting state growth expectations and other subgroups demonstrating remarkable progress.
Our high schools demonstrated parallel success in retention, college readiness, and career preparation. Our four-year cohort graduation rate has steadily climbed to 93.3% from 88.1% just three years ago. Furthermore, the combined percentage of high school students meeting ACT and WorkKeys benchmarks reached 64.4%, up from 59.0% last year, while progress for our English Learners increased to 42.4%.
These broad-based achievements are no accident; they are the direct result of structural changes in how we support teachers and students. Over the past year, we expanded peer coaching and mentorship programs, pairing district Instructional Specialists and administrators with both early-career and veteran educators to co-teach, conduct regular walk-throughs, and review lesson plans. Additionally, we utilized our Multi-Tiered System of Support framework to examine real-time assessment data and route targeted resources and interventions directly to individual campuses where they were needed most.
These accomplishments belong to our entire community. To our families, thank you for trusting us with your children and partnering with us in their education. To our teachers and staff, thank you for your relentless commitment to instructional excellence every single day. As we look ahead, we will carry this strong momentum forward to ensure every student in Wilkes County reaches their fullest potential.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support of Wilkes County Schools.
Warm regards,
Westley Wood, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Wilkes County Schools