Roanoke Rapids Graded School District reported gains in student proficiency and school performance during the 2025-26 school year, with all five district schools earning a state performance grade of C or better.
According to state testing data released Wednesday by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, academic proficiency increased at each RRGSD school, while four of the district’s five schools met or exceeded expected academic growth.
The results mean RRGSD currently has no schools designated by the state as low-performing.
Districtwide grade-level proficiency across all tested subject areas reached 54.4%, an increase of 4.2 percentage points from the previous school year. RRGSD said that represents the highest district proficiency rate in the Roanoke Valley.
“With increases in academic proficiency at every campus and with all of our schools achieving a ‘C’ or better, we are seeing evidence that the strategies and systems put in place are working,” Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Accountability Lauren Hinnant said.
Hinnant credited teachers, administrators and staff for the improvements.
The district reported continued positive trends in reading and mathematics in grades 3-8, while science proficiency increased in all tested areas in fifth grade, eighth grade and high school Biology.
RRGSD also highlighted results among students with disabilities, reporting that the subgroup met or exceeded expected growth in all tested areas at each school.
“The exemplary efforts of supporting students with specific learning needs across all of our schools is to be commended and is a testament to our EC teachers, staff, and leaders,” Superintendent Dr. Bennett Jones said.
Individual school results reported by the district include:
- Belmont Elementary School: Exceeded expected growth and increased student proficiency. The school maintained its performance grade while gaining a total of 10 points in its performance score over the past two years.
- Manning Elementary School: Met expected growth, increased student proficiency and increased its school performance score by two points. The school has gained six points over the past two years.
- Chaloner Middle School: Met expected growth, increased student proficiency by four points and increased its school performance score by three points. The school has gained eight points over the past two years.
- Roanoke Rapids Early College: Exceeded expected growth, increased student proficiency and earned an A school performance grade.
- Roanoke Rapids High School: Increased student proficiency in all subject areas and improved its school performance grade to a C.
Jones said the district plans to use the latest results as a starting point for additional improvements during the 2026-27 school year.
“Our focus this year is to continue to raise the bar on student achievement and continue our work to improve student outcomes such as college and career readiness and graduation rates,” Jones said.
The district said those efforts will include continued professional development for teachers and school leaders, targeted support for student subgroups and additional emphasis on behavior support systems.
The RRGSD results come as NCDPI also reported statewide academic improvement in data released Wednesday.
Detailed accountability results for individual schools and districts are available through the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
