Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' four-year graduation rate climbed to 88.1%, a 3.3 percentage-point jump the district called its largest single-year increase in more than a decade.

CMS announced the milestone on social media Oct. 27, crediting its Cohort Graduation Rate (CGR) Teams for the gains. Those teams pair counselors, data managers, social workers, family advocates, graduation coaches and administrators at each school to remove barriers and keep students on track to graduate.

The district did not release school-by-school graduation figures. Families at Ardrey Kell High School and Ballantyne Ridge High School do not yet know how their schools performed individually within the districtwide increase.

Districtwide, 61.1% of CMS students scored proficient on state tests, a 5.1 percentage-point improvement that surpassed the pre-pandemic rate of 59.8%, the Charlotte Observer reported Sept. 2. CMS also outpaced the statewide average in grades 3-8 reading, with 56.7% of students proficient compared with 52.5% statewide, according to the district's Sept. 2 release.

Nearly 79% of CMS schools earned an A, B or C performance grade, up about 8 percentage points from 2024-25 and 26 points since 2021-22, the district said. The number of low-performing schools dropped to 28, down from 31 the prior year and 50 in 2021-22.

Ardrey Kell earned a separate distinction this year. The school ranked No. 13 in North Carolina and No. 475 nationally in U.S. News & World Report's annual Best High Schools list, according to a post on the school's website.

The academic gains arrived during a turbulent stretch for district leadership. The CMS Board of Education voted 5-4 in September to fire Superintendent Crystal Hill, EdNC reported. Acting Superintendent Melissa Balknight has led the district since.

Ardrey Kell is also getting a new principal. David Legrand, a 25-year education veteran who most recently led Rocky River High School, was appointed to lead Ardrey Kell starting Nov. 1, the Charlotte Weekly reported. Balknight recognized Legrand at the Oct. 13 board meeting.

One data note: the Sept. 2 state release initially listed CMS's graduation rate at 87.9%. An EdNC report on Oct. 2 noted the state corrected North Carolina's overall four-year graduation rate upward by 0.2 percentage points. CMS's Oct. 27 announcement listed the revised 88.1% figure.

School-specific graduation data for Ardrey Kell and Ballantyne Ridge had not been publicly released as of Oct. 28.