Education Rankings

There are many types of measures of a public school system, graduation rate, per capita spending or SAT scores, for example.  One measure of a school system is what others outside the system think of the quality of the system.  The following accolades have been given to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public School System. (CMS)

 CMS High Schools Among the Best, Newsweek Magazine released its 100 Best High Schools in America list, with high schools through CMS faring well. Three CMS high schools ranked in the top 100, and 13 high schools listed in the top 1,100. Myers Park was named 16th in the country. May 1, 2006

Read the press release from CMS.

How Charlotte Tops Big Cities in School Tests, The Wall Street Journal profiles Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools. December 2, 2005

CMS outperforms state and nation in three out of four areas measured on national assessment.  Students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools outperformed their peers in the state and in the nation on three out of four areas measured on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which was released by the U.S. Department of Education. December 1, 2005

Charlotte's Education System Measuring Up? - Ventures Charlotte,
Second Quarter 2004
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools may be the recipient of a lot of criticism locally, but on a national scale the school system measures up to - and in most cases even outranks - other districts.

The Best Education in the Biggest Cities, Forbes.com, February 2004
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools was ranked seventh among the nation’s 100 largest school districts in the most populous cities in the country. The article references large public school districts that beat the odds and deliver high school graduates who have received a top quality education.   Some areas Charlotte ranked highest: 

U.S. News and World Report magazine on March 15, 2004 had the cover story focusing on the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. the Board of Education and what school districts are doing to close the achievement gap. CMS is featured in the article as a result of tremendous gains in student achievement and a strong focus on narrowing the gap. Review the article  March, 2004

In addition, CMS was featured on CNN and in USA Today marking Brown vs. Board of Education Anniversary. Review this information

Charlotte Students Rank at the Top of National Report Card
Results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that CMS outperformed all nine other urban school districts that took part in NAEP's Trial Urban District Assessment.  Most impressive facts:

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools have the highest percentage of students, 31 percent, performing at or above "proficient" in fourth-grade reading of the other nine districts tested, compared with 30 percent of public school students nationwide;
• Charlotte schools match the national average, 30 percent, of students performing at or above "proficient" in eighth-grade reading results;
• Charlotte school students significantly surpassing the nation, with 41 percent at or above proficient compared with 31 percent nationally in fourth-grade math results;
• Charlotte with 32 percent of its students at or above proficient, significantly higher than the national average of 27 percent in eighth -grade math results.

For entire article review:

Big-City Schools Post Significant Gains in 4th Grade Reading on Nation's Report Card,  Council for Great City Schools, December 2003

Test Scores Improve in City Schools, The Christian Source Monitor, December 2003

What About CMS Makes You Say "WOW!" - Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public School System, Fourth Quarter 2003,  20 Charlotte-Mecklenburg School achievements are listed.  Including:

• CMS has 24 Schools of Excellence and 42 Schools of Distinction as recognized by the North Carolina ABCs of Public Education Program.
• CMS was the first district in the state to offer the International Baccalaureate program, the most challenging curriculum in the country.
• On SAT scores, the top 10 percent of CMS students outperform the top 10 percent of students, both statewide and nationally.