During the elementary and middle school years, students learn basic reading and math skills. These skills provide the basis for children and young adults to acquire, process, and interpret information about the world. If students do not develop this foundation of basic skills, it can impact their academic success at all future levels of education[1] (e.g. high school graduation, post-secondary completion, job placement, etc.).

From birth to about age eight, around third grade, children learn to read. After third grade, reading increasingly becomes a key part of instruction and how children learn. Children who are unequipped with basic reading skills at the end of third grade are at much greater risk of falling behind in school[1].

The measure used for Reading Proficiency is the reading test taken at the end of third grade. Proficiency on this test is defined as possessing the skills required to read at a third grade level.

1. Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2010). EARLY WARNING! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters.

The rate of students meeting third grade reading proficiency standards has decreased over time. In the 2021-2022 school year, 40% met third grade reading proficiency standards compared to 58% of students in the 2013-2014 school year.

There were disparities in third grade reading proficiency by race/ethnicity. About a quarter (26%) of Hispanic/Latino and Black students met third grade reading proficiency standards in 2021-2022 compared to approximately 63% of White students.

There were disparities by sex with about 42% of females meeting third grade proficiency standards during the 2021-2022 school year compared to 39% of males.

There were disparities in third grade reading proficiency by economic status. In the 2021-2022 school year, about a quarter (26%) of economically disadvantaged students met proficiency standards compared to 55% of students who were not economically disadvantaged.

Data Sources

1. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. (n.d.,). 2021-22 School Assessment and Other Indicator Data. Retrieved from https://www.dpi.nc.gov. 

If you are interested in using data from this report for rigorous purposes (such as program planning), please contact [email protected] for a consultation on how best to proceed.

Colleges and universities expect students to have the skills and knowledge to tackle college-level coursework. Students who are not proficient on the ACT are less likely to be prepared for college, more likely to frequently spend time and money taking remedial courses, and are less likely to be successful in completing their degree[1].

The American College Testing (ACT) assessment, which is taken by all 11th grade students in North Carolina, measures college readiness in reading, math, science, and English. In North Carolina, proficiency on the ACT is considered to be a composite score of 17 or above – the minimum score required for admission into the University of North Carolina system.

1. Alliance for Excellent Education. (2011, May). Saving Now and Saving Later: How High School Reform Can Reduce the Nation’s Wasted Remediation Dollars. Retrieved from http://all4ed.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/SavingNowSavingLaterRemediation.pdf

The rate of students meeting ACT proficiency standards has decreased over time.  In the 2021-2022 school year, 39% met ACT proficiency standards compared to 61% of students in the 2013-2014 school year.

Disparities were present in ACT proficiency among students by economic status. About 17% of economically disadvantaged students met ACT proficiency standards compared to  51% of economically advantaged students.

Disparities were present in ACT proficiency among students by race/ethnicity. In 2021-2022, 18% of Black and 20% of Hispanic/Latino students met ACT proficiency standards compared to 64% of White students.  

Disparities were present in ACT proficiency by sex. Female students had higher proficiency rates than males in the 2021-2022 school year.

Data Notes

Forsyth County schools had no ACT testing in the 2020-2021 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data Sources

1. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. (n.d.). 2021-22 School Assessment and Other Indicator Data. Retrieved from https://www.dpi.nc.gov.

If you are interested in using data from this report for rigorous purposes (such as program planning), please contact [email protected] for a consultation on how best to proceed.

Education plays a significant role in social mobility, the prevention of poverty, the ability for people to avoid the conditions of poverty, and the reduction of crime rates[1-4]. Graduating from college or community college significantly increases the likelihood of an individual’s economic success[3-6].

Post-secondary education — education attained after high school — plays an important role in upward mobility[3]. This includes but is not limited to: college, community college, and university. This measure describes the percentage of the population, 25-years-old and older, with at least an associate’s degree.

While it is recognized that certificate programs are also important to a community, the data for such information is not currently available for analysis.

1. Haskins, R. (2011). Fighting poverty the American way. Anti-Poverty Programs in a Global Perspective: Lessons from Rich and Poor Countries, Social Science Research Center, Berlin, [Record of a Symposium]. June 20-21, 2011. Berlin, Germany. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/0620_fighting_poverty_haskins.pdf
2. Acs, G. (2011). Downward mobility from the middle class: Waking up from the American dream. Retrieved from http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/legacy/uploadedfiles/pcs_assets/2011/middleclassreportpdf.pdf?la=en
3. Furchtgott-Roth, D., Jacobson, L., & Mokher, C. (2009). Strengthening community colleges’ influence on economic mobility. Retrieved from http://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/files/Jacobson.pdf
4. Sharkey, P., Bryan, G. (2013). Mobility and the metropolis: How communities factor into economic mobility. Retrieved from http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/legacy/uploadedfiles/pcs_assets/2013/mobilityandthemetropolispdf.pdf
5. Ross, C., & Wu, C. (1995). The links between education and health. American Sociological Review, 60(5), 719-745. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2096319
6. Lochner, L. (2007). Education and crime. Retrieved from http://economics.uwo.ca/people/lochner_docs/educationpolicycrime_nov12.pdf

The percentage of the population with a post-secondary degree has increased since 2010. In Forsyth County, approximately 38% of residents had a post-secondary degree in 2010 compared to 46% in 2021. Additionally, the percentage of the population with a post-secondary degree from 2010 to 2021 increased for all comparison communities.

Educational attainment is significantly higher in Durham County. In 2021, 61% of Durham County residents had a post-secondary degree compared to the 44%-46% of residents in the other comparison communities. 

There were significantly more female than male residents with a post-secondary degree in 2021. Further, there was an increase in females with a post-secondary degree from 38% in 2010 to 49% in 2021. 

Disparities were present in residents with post-secondary degrees by age. Among all age groups, adults 65 years old and older have the lowest percentage of post-secondary degrees. 

Disparities were present in residents with post-secondary degrees by race/ethnicity. In 2021, a higher proportion of White residents had a post-secondary degree than Hispanic/Latino residents or Black or African American residents. Additionally, the percentage of Hispanic/Latino residents with a post-secondary  nearly tripled from 8% in 2010 to 23% in 2021.

Due to pandemic disruptions, 2020 data is not comparable to previous years. 

Data Sources

1. U.S. Census Bureau (2022). Sex by Age by Educational Attainment for the Population 18 Years and Over: Table B15001, 2006-2019 and 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates. Retrieved from data.census.gov.
2. U.S. Census Bureau (2022). Sex by Age by Educational Attainment for the Population 25 Years and Over: Table B15002, 2006-2019 and 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates. Retrieved from data.census.gov.
3. U.S. Census Bureau (2022). Sex by Age by Educational Attainment for the Population 25 Years and Over (Hispanic or Latino): Table B15002I, 2006-2019 and 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates. Retrieved from data.census.gov.
4. U.S. Census Bureau (2022). Sex by Age by Educational Attainment for the Population 25 Years and Over (Black or African American Alone): Table B15002B, 2006-2019 and 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates. Retrieved from data.census.gov.
5. U.S. Census Bureau (2022). Sex by Age by Educational Attainment for the Population 25 Years and Over (White Alone, not Hispanic or Latino): Table B15002H, 2006-2019 and 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates. Retrieved from data.census.gov.
6. U.S. Census Bureau (2022). Sex by Age by Educational Attainment for the Population 18 Years and Over: Table B15002, 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved from data.census.gov.

If you are interested in using data from this report for rigorous purposes (such as program planning), please contact [email protected] for a consultation on how best to proceed.

Data Sources

1. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. (n.d.).  Longitudinal Four-year and Five-year Cohort Graduation Rates through 2022 from https://www.dpi.nc.gov.

In 2021, 90% of Forsyth County residents 25 years old and older had a high school diploma or higher.

Data Sources

1. U.S. Census Bureau (2022). Educational Attainment: Table S1501, 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates. Retrieved from data.census.gov.

In 2021, 46% of Forsyth County residents, ages 25 and higher, had an Associate’s Degree or higher

Data Sources

1. U.S. Census Bureau (2022). Educational Attainment: Table S1501, 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates. Retrieved from data.census.gov. 

Title I, Part A, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), is a federally funded program that provides financial assistance to local education agencies (LEAs) and schools. The purpose of the Title I program is to help at-risk students meet the state’s challenging academic content and performance standards. Schools qualify for Title I funds based on economic need. The Title I program offers a variety of services for participating schools, which may include: additional teachers and support staff, extra time for instruction, a variety of teaching methods and materials, smaller classes, and additional training for staff[1].

1. https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/domain/64

Produced by Forsyth Futures in partnership with The Forsyth Promise. Published 2021.

The purpose of The Forsyth Promise 2020 Community Education Report is to share community information so that everyone can better understand our educational systems. This interactive report microsite includes information on core education measures, equity measures, community context, the impact of COVID-19, stories from those with lived experience of our educational systems, and pathways to action. This report is produced annually by The Forsyth Promise.

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Produced by The Women’s Fund of the Winston-Salem Foundation in partnership with Forsyth Futures.

After seeing the importance of highlighting data that focused on the economic security of women and girls in Forsyth County, The Women’s Fund committed to producing a report of its nature every five years. While we chose a print format for our two previous reports, we decided to take a different approach with our third Through a Gender Lens report by presenting it as an interactive microsite with the goal to make the information more accessible and engaging.

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Produced by Forsyth Futures.

Forsyth Futures’ Key Measures Report serves as a compilation of recent, commonly-requested, community-specific, reference information to aid informed public consideration and grant-writing activities in Forsyth County. The contents of this report address demographics and various topics related to the economy, health and wellness, education, and safety in Forsyth County.

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Produced by The Forsyth Promise in partnership with Forsyth Futures.

Striving toward systems change: the data and information contained in the 2019 Education Report for Forsyth County convey how our community is doing in regard to our most critical education measures. The Forsyth Promise’s goal is to support improvement of community-wide education measures for all students and support the reduction (and ultimate elimination) of disparity gaps by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status

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Produced by The Forsyth Promise in partnership with Forsyth Futures.

The Forsyth Promise’s cradle-to-career civic infrastructure is designed to impact local systems and improve all students’ educational success. Significant change is defined as a change of at least two percentage points over three years. The following data convey how Forsyth County is doing in regard to our core education measures. The Promise’s immediate goal is to achieve two proof points for systems change: 1. at least four of seven core measures are stable or improving year over year for aggregate students and 2. at least two of five disparity gaps are reduced or eliminated.

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Produced by Forsyth Futures in partnership with MDC.

Forsyth Family Voices (FFV) is a powerful way to engage the voices of parents and families of young children in the programs that serve them—and in the community’s early childhood system. The FFV approach, using shared survey and focus group tools to listen to and learn from families, was developed collaboratively with a diverse, cross-sector group of agencies representing different fields within the early childhood system. Through FFV, agencies in the Forsyth County early childhood system are collectively building a deeper understanding of the needs, strengths, and ideas of the families they serve. 

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Produced by The Forsyth Promise.

The Forsyth Promise is focused on supporting the development of the whole child and is built around improving six primary outcomes that are academic and social-emotional in nature. These outcomes span from birth to young adulthood (see the chart on the next page). For each outcome, at least one indicator, or a measure of success, was selected to track our community’s progress toward the vision of The Forsyth Promise.

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Produced by Forsyth Futures, 2016.

Goals for the Early Care Service System Analysis (ECSSA): Build a common reference point for community services, identify gaps in services, identify opportunities for better coordination,  create a framework for developing common community outcomes

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Produced by The Women’s Fund of the Winston-Salem Foundation.

In 2010, The Women’s Fund published a report on women and girls in our community — the first time that data on the lives of more than half of our population had ever been assembled. That report, Through a Gender Lens: The Economic Security of Women and Girls in Forsyth County, told us a great deal about work, wages, poverty, education, and healthcare at the time, and women’s strengths overall and challenges they face. Women in our community were resilient, but too many were living without the financial resources they needed for a safe and secure life for themselves and for their children. We resolved to do better. 

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Produced by The Forsyth Promise.

The Forsyth Promise, a broad-based community partnership, wants to see every child in Forsyth County educated, equipped, and engaged from cradle to career. We want every child to receive the best education possible and be prepared to thrive throughout life. The information in this report provides a snapshot of our children’s educational outcomes at this moment in time as they make the journey from birth to young adulthood. We are inviting the entire community to work together to improve the educational and social outcomes for every child in Forsyth County.

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Produced by Forsyth Futures, 2013.

The Making Progress Report: Children Ready for School is part of the Educational Success sector. The following report provides a description of the children ready for school indicator, identifies measures of readiness, and establishes benchmarks for continuing to make progress in Forsyth County.

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