Graduation Rates Rise Across State And In Charlotte Area

The state's graduation rate rose to 80 percent, up two points from last year. Most of the districts in the Charlotte area saw similar increases. Gaston County Schools was up to 78 percent, Cabarrus County Schools 86 percent, and Union County Schools was up slightly to 89.5 percent. Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools graduation rate improved, but it was still far behind the state average at 75 percent. For low-income CMS students, the graduation rate was 69 percent. That's a big jump compared to 2008, when 52 percent of low-income students graduated on time. CMS also had some of the highest scoring schools on state tests and some of the lowest. CMS elementary and middle-schoolers' scores were slightly up, with the biggest increase in science. Reading proficiency scores were 71 percent. High-schoolers scored slightly lower this year with the biggest drop in Algebra I. The CMS high school proficiency rate was 80 percent.