Absence
Rural Districts Have the Highest Chronic Absence Rates in NC
Warren County (53.9%), Halifax (51.0%), and Northampton (50.5%) lead a rural corridor where half of students miss a month or more of school.
North Carolina
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of North Carolina, grounded in North Carolina Department of Education data.
Robeson County Cut Chronic Absence From 51.1% to 40.7% in Two Years, Still the Highest Among Large NC Districts
Robeson County's chronic absence rate fell 10.3 points from its 2021-22 peak, more than the state's 6.2. At 40.7% in 2023-24, it led NC's large districts.
NC's Native American Students Cut Chronic Absence From 48.7% to 40.9%. The Gap With White Students Stayed Above 20 Points.
Native American students had NC's highest chronic absence rate in 2023-24, 40.9%. About half attend Robeson County schools, where the rate was 47.8%.
Gaston County Cut Its Chronic Absence Rate Nearly in Half
Gaston County Schools went from a 41.2% peak to 23.6%, a 17.6-point drop and the strongest 2021-to-2024 recovery among NC districts with 25,000 to 40,000 students.
15 NC Districts Hit All-Time Graduation Highs in 2024
North Carolina's statewide graduation rate was 87.0% in 2024, but 15 districts reached full-series highs and none hit a full-series low.
More Coverage
District Spotlight
Mooresville: The Only NC District at 95%
Mooresville Graded School District is the only district in North Carolina in the reported 95% graduation-rate bucket, up from 64% in 2006 and at or above 90% for nine straight years.
District Spotlight
Forsyth County's Chronic-Absence Rate Remained 10.5 Points Above 2019
Forsyth County Schools had a 32.1% chronic-absence rate in 2024, second-highest among North Carolina's five largest districts and 10.5 points above 2019.
Charter Schools
Charter Schools Closed the Gap: From 14 Points Behind to Dead Even
NC charter high schools have closed a 14-point graduation gap with traditional schools since 2006 while quadrupling in number. But convergence masks enormous school-to-school variance.
Absence
7 NC Districts Hit Their 2018-2024 Chronic-Absence High in 2024
Despite statewide improvement, seven eligible North Carolina districts recorded their highest chronic-absence rate in the package's 2018-2024 panel.
Graduation Rate
The LEP Rollercoaster: From 55% to 73%, With a Definition Change Along the Way
English learners in NC have the most volatile graduation trajectory of any subgroup — spiking, crashing, and spiking again as the cohort more than doubled and the definition changed.
District Spotlight
Davidson County Cut Its Chronic Rate by 18 Points in Two Years
Davidson County Schools dropped from 29.4% to 11.4% chronic absence, the largest North Carolina district to improve this far this fast.
Special Populations
NC's Special Education Attendance Gap Widened 50% After COVID
Students with disabilities have a 32.4% chronic absence rate in NC, 7.4 points above the overall average. The gap was roughly 5 points before the pandemic.
Graduation Rate
NC Students With Disabilities Gained 22 Graduation Points Since 2006. The Gap to the State Average Held at 15.
North Carolina students who receive special education services graduate at 71.6%, up nearly 22 points since 2006. But the gap to the state average has held near 15 points.
Demographics
Hispanic Students Climbed From 52% to 83% in 18 Years
Hispanic students in North Carolina have cut the white-Hispanic graduation gap from 21 points to 6.5 while their cohort grew nearly fivefold. A 2024 breakout may signal the end of a 7-year plateau.
Demographics
NC's English Learners Went from Below-Average to Above-Average Absence
English learners in North Carolina had lower chronic absence than the state average before COVID. Now they are 3.9 points above it, a complete reversal.
