About Wilson County Schools
About Wilson County Schools
The motto of Wilson County Schools is “learn, create, inspire” and that is exactly what our 10,165 students and 1,650 staff members strive to do each day. Our district consists of 25 schools - 13 elementary schools, five middle schools, three high schools, two early colleges, one alternative school and one virtual school. Students are empowered to stay engaged in their education and to graduate as responsible citizens who are prepared to participate in the global economy. More details can be found in the graphics. Below is our mission, vision, beliefs and most recent accountability highlights.
Mission: The mission of Wilson County Schools is to provide an educational environment which creates success for all students through the community working together.
Vision: Wilson County Schools is a place where students participate in an educational environment in which they are engaged and empowered in their learning and graduate as responsible citizens prepared to compete in the global economy. Collectively, students, educators, families and community members commit to becoming lifelong learners and ensuring students are prepared for success and equipped with the skills to pursue their dreams.
Commitment Statements:
1. Every student can learn and succeed.
2. Student success will not be predictable by race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status.
3. Education, employment or enlistment are all honorable pursuits after graduation.
4. Strong educators are keys to accelerating student achievement.
2022-2023 Accountability Highlights
Wilson County Schools experienced huge gains in overall proficiency for the 2022-2023 school year! Students scored at 55.2% proficient overall, an increase of 5.4% compared to the previous year. For the first time ever, the district performed above the state average for overall proficiency, which was 53.6.
Wilson County Schools is now ranked 41st out of 115 districts in the state in overall proficiency compared to 56th in the state last school year. This is the highest state ranking the district has ever achieved. Wilson County Schools is only 4.4% away from being one of the top 20 performing districts in the state.
“I want to thank each and every one of our teachers and staff! Their dedication, caring and hard work made such a difference for our students and schools. Our students should be proud of their outstanding performance - they worked hard all last year in and outside of the classroom too,” said Superintendent Dr. Lane Mills. “Our district has made great progress, and I know it will continue. While we are always excited about our great results, I want to emphasize that our students are more than just test scores. We love them and are committed to helping them realize their full potential. I am most proud of the sustained progress of our system that you can see in our results. This pattern of performance is not easy to achieve. It shows that the results of the work of our teachers, staff and students throughout our system is reflective of more than just experiencing a good year here and there - our Wilson County Schools family continues to stretch and achieve more even as the state is recovering from the effects of the pandemic and remote learning.”
The proficiency gains, which refers to the percent of students achieving at grade level on the End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) tests, by subject were:
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Reading EOG: up 7.4% to 53.3% proficient
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Math EOG: up 7.0% to 53.9% proficient
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Science EOG: up 3.4% to 70.5% proficient
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English 2 EOC: up 0.5% to 59.8% proficient
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Math 1 EOC: down 1.1% to 50.2% proficient
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Math 3 EOC: up 6.2% to 59.5% proficient
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Biology EOC: up 1.1% to 48.8% proficient
The district’s growth scores indicate the tremendous work of students and staff. Growth is a measure based on achieving one year’s worth of learning for students. For the second year in a row, every elementary school in the district met or exceeded growth. The schools that exceeded growth were: Gardners Elementary, Hearne Elementary, Jones Elementary, Lee Woodard Elementary, Lucama Elementary, Rock Ridge Elementary, Forest Hills Middle, Hunt High and Wilson Early College Academy.
Twenty-one out of 25 schools met or exceeded growth (nine exceeded). This is the largest number of schools meeting or exceeding growth in the district’s history since growth became a part of the state accountability system. The cohort graduation rate (students who graduate in four years) increased 3.8% to 83%, which is the highest rate ever for Wilson County Schools. The rate for the previous year was 79.2%.
Regarding School Performance Grades, Wilson Early College Academy maintained its grade of an A, which it has earned since the inception of the grading system in 2013-2014. Rock Ridge Elementary and Wilson Academy of Applied Technology also earned an A. Wilson County Schools also had several schools that earned a School Performance Grade of B. Those schools were: Gardners Elementary, Lucama Elementary and New Hope Elementary. Eight schools narrowly missed the cutoff score for a B. The full list of Performance Grades, which are letter grades assigned to schools by the state based on proficiency and growth, are below:
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Schools that earned an A: Wilson Early College Academy, Wilson Academy of Applied Technology and Rock Ridge Elementary
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Schools that earned a B: Gardners Elementary, Lucama Elementary and New Hope Elementary.
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Schools that earned a C: Frederick Douglass Elementary, Hearne Elementary, Jones Elementary, Lee Woodard Elementary, Stantonsburg Elementary, Vinson-Bynum Elementary, Wells Elementary, Elm City Middle, Forest Hills Middle, Speight Middle, Springfield Middle, Beddingfield High, Fike High and Hunt High
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Schools that earned a D: Barnes Elementary and Vick Elementary
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Schools that earned an F: Darden Middle
About Wilson County
Wilson County Schools is located in Wilson County, North Carolina, which is 45 minutes east of the capital city of Raleigh, two hours from the beach and roughly four hours from the mountains. Once known as “the world’s largest tobacco market,” Wilson leaders have worked to redefine Wilson as a place with all the charm of a small town and all the amenities of a larger city. In Wilson, front porch rocking chairs and whimsical whirligigs coexist with entrepreneurial pathways and a world-class broadband system. Visit www.discoverwilson.com to find out more about our incredible town.
