Best in the Nation
Cue the caps and gowns! The most recent senior class achieved a historical high of 87.7% in this accomplishment.
High school graduation
Created from input received on the “Mo Wants to Know” listening tour, this is the title of the strategic plan that aims to position NC’s public schools as the best in the US by 2030.
Achieving Educational Excellence
It’s not just “where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great.” It’s also the most common acronym on the DPI website.
NC
In 1777 Samuel Adams coined the term “give credit where it’s due,” and it’s certainly due for the public school students who earned 382,964 of these in 2024-25 — the most in state history.
Credentials/ Industry-Recognized Credentials
Whether you’re listening to the hit song by Queen or signing up to be a part of the “Network,” we need more of these folks to keep fighting (for public education).
Champions
We’re not talking about head injuries, although a student might learn about them in a Healthcare course under this program.
CTE (Career and Technical Education)
No lengthy applications needed! Public high school seniors in NC have accepted more than 88,000 offers from participating colleges and universities in this direct admissions program.
NC College Connect
Sometimes respect is not enough, so we go one level higher. This “Pillar of Excellence” aims to elevate and restore pride in the education profession.
Revere Public School Educators
Some call it a “lightbulb moment,” some call it the federal law that ensures a “Free Appropriate Public Education.”
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)
The glass is certainly more than half full for the 54% of 2025 graduates who earned credit in these types of courses before ever leaving high school.
College/College-level
Talk about reading to achieve! This statewide reading campaign calls on students to collectively read this number of books annually.
10 million
He’s everyone’s favorite cousin in National Lampoon’s Christmas vacation, as well as the authoritative source for public school directory information.
EDDIE (Educational Directory and Demographical Information Exchange)
Muy bien! Within a decade of its launch, 60,000 NC public school graduates have earned this credential, which shows a high level of proficiency in two or more languages.
Seal of Biliteracy
High-quality mathematics instruction + $25 million invested in rural middle schools = success for this Initiative, which just expanded to four additional schools.
Golden Leaf Schools Initiative
Sometimes referred to as “The Nation’s Report Card,” this resource has tracked student achievement trends in core subjects for over 40 years.
NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress)