Summary:
The Johnston County Public Schools district in North Carolina is home to 10 high schools serving students in grades 9-12. The schools in this district exhibit a range of academic performance, with some standout institutions producing exceptional results.
Two schools in particular stand out from the rest: the Johnston County Early College Academy and the Johnston County Schools Career Technical. Both schools rank among the top high schools in North Carolina, with 5-star ratings and proficiency rates exceeding 90% on end-of-course exams. These specialized, high-performing programs demonstrate that targeted educational initiatives can thrive within the larger district.
In contrast, some schools in the district struggle with lower academic performance, particularly those with higher percentages of students from low-income backgrounds. For example, Smithfield-Selma High has a free/reduced lunch rate of nearly 69% and proficiency rates below 50% on end-of-course exams. This highlights the correlation between socioeconomic status and academic achievement, a trend observed across the district. However, the data also suggests that factors such as funding and student-teacher ratios do not necessarily determine a school's success, as the top-performing schools exhibit a wide range in these metrics.
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