Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students hit 61.1% proficiency on state tests in 2025-26, clearing the district's pre-pandemic benchmark for the first time since COVID-19 disrupted classrooms.

The results, released Wednesday, Sept. 2, show a 5.1 percentage point jump from last year's 56% proficiency rate. CMS's pre-pandemic mark was 59.8%.

The Charlotte Observer reported that CMS also topped the statewide average of 59.2% for a second straight year.

Gains showed up across every tested subject, according to the district's accountability report. High School Math 1 proficiency jumped 13 points to 42%. Biology climbed 9.8 points to 58.4%.

Science in grades 5 and 8 rose 7.6 points to 69.3%. English II gained 6.8 points to reach 66%. High School Math 3 hit 69.4%, up 2.8 points.

For Ballantyne families with younger children, third-grade reading proficiency jumped 11 points, climbing from 46.3% to 57.3%. Across grades 3 through 8, reading proficiency reached 56.7%, four points above the prior year and ahead of the 52.5% state average. Math in those grades hit 62.7%, up 3.5 points.

The improvement came despite widespread technical problems during spring testing in May, when platform and server disruptions stopped some students from finishing end-of-grade exams.

Superintendent Crystal Hill, speaking at a North Carolina Department of Public Instruction news conference Sept. 2, credited three strategies: regularly tracking performance data, teacher collaboration and classroom support from instructional specialists.

"Our success is not accidental," Hill said. "What we discovered is we must embed accountability into our daily routines."

On Aug. 18, Hill had told the Charlotte Observer there would be "a lot of excellent news to share" about the coming results.

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 number of F-rated schools dropped from six to three. Low-performing schools fell to 28, down from 31 last year and 50 in 2021-22.

The district's four-year graduation rate rose to 87.9%, a 3.3 percentage point increase.

Individual school performance grades for Ballantyne-area campuses were not included in the district-level release. Families can look up their school's grade through the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's online data tool.