UCPS Snapshots Special Edition: Academic and school accountability update
To keep our community informed and up to date with the latest information about Union County Public Schools (UCPS), we have developed a special edition of Snapshots to share the academic accountability results from the 2022-2023 school year.

UCPS and the North Carolina State Board of Education announced academic and school accountability results during the Sept. 6 Union County Board of Education meeting. Staff released data for school performance grades, district and grade level proficiency rates, growth, math course rigor, four-year cohort graduation rate and career and college readiness.
Leading the way
The data shows that UCPS continues to outperform the state and the 12 largest districts in multiple testing and accountability areas. Overall proficiency on state assessments was 69.3 percent, ranking UCPS the highest among the 12 largest districts and number two across the state.
Graduation Rate: The UCPS 2023 cohort graduation rate remains at 92.3 percent and continues to be the highest among the 12 largest districts. This graduation cohort began high school in the 2019-2020 school year, which was during the pandemic.
Student Proficiency: State test results from the 2022-2023 school year show that 69.3 percent of students were Grade Level Proficient (GLP) and 51.6 percent were College and Career Ready (CCR). The state reported 53.6 percent GLP and 35.7 percent CCR for 2022-2023.
School Performance Grades: State data shows that 84 percent or 42 out of 50 schools met or exceeded expected growth. In addition, 42 out of 50 or 84 percent of schools earned a SPG of A, B or C. UCPS has also decreased its number of low-performing schools from 13 to 7, reflecting a change of 46.2 percent. Of the 12 largest districts, UCPS had the biggest decrease of low-performing schools.
Non-accountability performance indicators soar
Our students earned 12,981 Career and Technical Education (CTE) credentials, compared to 11,135 in 2021-2022.
A total of 5,779 students took Advanced Placement (AP) exams in 2022-2023. This is up from 5,012 in 2021-2022.
A deeper dive
Test results show return to pre-pandemic levels in several academic areas
“The educators in UCPS are dynamic and they are to be commended for these strong gains and so much more,” said Superintendent Dr. Andrew Houlihan. “The data is a result of the proven strategies that we know are working for our students. We have seen improvements each year since the pandemic. It has not been easy, but our teachers, principals and administrators are doing an amazing job providing high-quality instruction every day.”
Watch the presentation at the Sept. 6 Union County Board of Education meeting
What it all means
"The data validates what we thought. We implemented the same strategies from the 2017-2108 school year. We saw similar gains pre-pandemic. Now, we are seeing similar results post-pandemic. It works. We have to do it the right way, with fidelity. This was a total team effort," said Dr. Houlihan. "I am not satisfied with where we are in terms of the number of low-performing schools we still have. That is still going to be a critical mission. However, when you compare the level of performance UCPS has had from last year to the state and largest 12 districts, we have really hit a home run."

Next steps

Continue to focus on academic performance to:
  • Further decrease the number of schools not meeting growth.
  • Further decrease the number of schools identified as Low Performing.
  • Increase grade level proficiency (GLP) and growth across all middle schools.

Continue the district’s turnaround plan for schools identified as Focus schools for the 2023-24 school year.