Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - In a recent press release from Gaston County Schools, available in full here, the system boasted that 90% of its schools now meet or exceed academic growth expectations. The graduation rate in Gaston County is at an all-time high, at 90%. This is in line with rates across North Carolina, as the state's graduation rate rose to 88.8%, a record high. However, Cherryville High School dropped significantly in the past year.
The information gathered is from state testing and accountability data for the 2025-2026 school year, which was released publicly on September 2, 2026. Superintendent Morgen Houchard is impressed with the school system, saying,
“We are extremely pleased to see increases in our test scores, significant gains in academic growth, and a graduation rate that is our highest ever,”
Of the 51 schools in Gaston County, 25 exceeded expectations for academic growth, while 47 met growth expectations. This indicates whether a student made a year's worth of academic progress in a year of instruction. This number is drastically higher than the previous school year, when it rose 21% from 71% to 92%.
The overall proficiency rate in the county has risen to 53.5%, a 5.1% increase. The rise was across the board, with only one subject area seeing an overall decrease. This was Math III, and it dropped by 1.7% overall. Growth rates across individual schools show why this occurred. Despite some schools dropping slightly in certain areas, it was far more common to see a 5-10% jump across many Gaston County Schools.
One of the areas that has shown continuous growth as a county is the graduation rate. The rate was first calculated during the 2005-2006 school year as 68.1%. This means that in two decades, the rate has risen by 21.9% to an all-time high of 90%. This measurement is based on the four-year cohort graduation rate, which is the number of students who were freshmen in the 2022-2023 school year, who graduated on time during 2025-2026. As a result, it does not differentiate between dropping out and being held back. This means that in schools where the rate decreased, many students are still working toward completing their high school education.
The release then goes into school performance growth, which is measured with two data points. It is weighted 80% towards test scores and 20% towards academic growth. It should not be viewed as a comprehensive guideline for school quality, as other factors not measured here also play into it. Each school receives a letter grade, with 3 receiving an A, 15 receiving a B, 19 receiving a C, and the rest receiving a D. No school was marked as an F. The majority of the schools show higher performance here regardless of letter grade.
So does Gaston County as a whole represent the facts and findings for Cherryville? Starting with the elementary level schools, Cherryville Elementary met academic growth expectations. Its test results rose by 3.8% compared with the 2024-2025 school year, and overall, it received a C grade. It is important to note that a C grade means that the school is meeting all baseline expectations.
W.B. Beam also received a C despite a slight drop in its test results. It saw a minor drop of 0.5% to 55.8%, which still falls within baseline standards. It also met its academic growth expectations, leaving the school in good academic standing overall.
At the middle school level, John Chavis saw a 3.2% increase in test results, bringing the rate to 53.7%. This was enough to place Chavis in the exceeded expectations academic growth category. However, the school received a C rating for performance despite other metrics exceeding expectations.
Finally, Cherryville High School’s results are overall good. The school’s test results rose by a full 7.9% to 60.9% from a C to B grade. The school is the only one in the Cherryville system to receive a B for its performance grade. Like Chavis, it also exceeded its growth expectations. However, three high schools have lower graduation rates, with Cherryville showing the largest drop in the county. It fell from an exceptionally high 96.6% graduation rate to 91.9%. This 4.7% decrease leaves Cherryville High School above the state graduation rate and ranks it as the 7th-highest graduation rate in the county. This change does not show things like student enrollment or, as previously mentioned, whether students dropped out or failed while remaining in school. Therefore, this does not necessarily mean more students overall failed. Despite the drop in graduation rate, Cherryville is still doing well in almost all areas, if not exceeding expectations in others.
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