GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2025

S                                                                                                                                                     1

SENATE BILL 598

Short Title:      Change to Low-Performing Schools Designation.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Senator Sawyer (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to:	Rules and Operations of the Senate

March 26, 2025

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to modify the criteria for evaluating low‑performing schools.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:        

SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑105.37(a) reads as rewritten:

"(a)      Identification of Low‑Performing Schools. – The State Board of Education shall identify low‑performing schools on an annual basis. Low‑performing schools are those that earn an overall school performance grade of D or F and a school growth score of "met expected growth" or "not met expected growth" as defined by G.S. 115C‑83.15."

SECTION 2.  G.S. 115C‑105.37(b) reads as rewritten:

"(b)      Parental Notice of Low‑Performing School Status. – Each school that the State Board identifies as low‑performing shall provide written notification to the parents and guardians of students attending that school within 30 days of the identification that includes the following information:

(1)        A statement that the State Board of Education has found that the school has earned an overall school performance grade of D or F and a school growth score of "met expected growth" or "not met expected growth" and has been identified as a low‑performing school as defined by G.S. 115C‑105.37. The statement shall include an explanation of the school performance grades and growth scores.

…."

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to identification of low performing schools based on data from the 2025‑2026 school year.