Dear students, parents, caretakers, and educators,

It is an honor to serve as the NC Superintendent of Public Instruction. As a former teacher, a parent, and now an elected leader, I believe it is of utmost importance to share information about the online tools the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction provides, including the NC School Report Card website and the NC School Finance Dashboard. Both of these online tools can help you understand our state’s public schools and how they are serving our students.

The NC School Report Cards website contains snapshots of information about our schools, including the school performance grade, students’ academic growth, how prepared our students are when they enter a school, and a number of other measures as well. The NC School Finance Dashboard breaks down how the $15 billion per year that is awarded to students and educators is spent in North Carolina.

These resources are readily available for you and allows transparency into the aspects like spending as well as school performance. Although this information is important to know, we know it doesn’t tell the complete story. It doesn’t show the hard work our educators pour in each day for their students and schools and it doesn’t show the spirit of the school itself. No data will be able to show the dedication of our educators nor will it show the extracurricular opportunities, the athletic programs, the apprenticeship or career preparatory classes - all of which have a profound impact on students and growth.

Please keep in mind that because of COVID-19’s effects on the school year, this year’s School Report Cards will feature less data than you may be accustomed to seeing. End-of-Grade and End-of-Course exams were not administered in the spring semester, so no results are reported this year. Also, the School Performance Grades and Teacher Effectiveness measures are calculated using those results, so they are not part of the report card either. However, other valuable information, such as the arts programs offered in a school, the learning devices that are available to students, and incoming student readiness are included.

Thank you for your time.

Catherine Truitt
NC Superintendent of Public Instruction