Guilford County Schools and Local Businesses Commit to Excellence

The 16 most improved schools in Guilford County were recognized during the ninth annual Celebration of Excellence program, which is sponsored by Businesses for Excellence in Education.

The schools received grants for more than $9,600 and a banner to hang at the school.

To select the most improved schools, all schools are divided into three index groups based on a weighted percentage of students of color, students on free/reduced price lunch, students who are Limited English Proficient and students with disabilities. There are then three elementary schools, one middle school and high school selected from each index group. One middle college/high school academy is also selected; these schools are in a separate category. The schools are selected based on improvement on the ABCs Performance Composite from the previous year to the current year. The Performance Composite is a measure of the percentage of students at or above proficiency on all tested subjects for a school.

Celebrating Excellence in Education – 16 Most Improved Schools

Elementary
Kirkman Park Elementary, Bessemer Elementary, Cone Elementary, Triangle Lake Montessori, Guilford Elementary, Sumner Elementary, Nathanael Greene Elementary, Madison Elementary, Northern Elementary

Middle
Ferndale Middle, Northeast Middle, The Academy at Lincoln

High
Northeast High, Southwest High, Southeast High

Middle College/High School Academy
The Academy at Smith

Schools that received this esteemed honor in the past have used the grants in a variety of ways to address specific campus needs. Many schools used the grants to provide additional teacher training, purchase books for media centers or offer curriculum support materials in the classrooms.     

About Businesses for Excellence in Education
Businesses for Excellence in Education, an Action Greensboro initiative, demonstrates the business community’s strong support of public education and, in particular: raising student performance, closing the achievement gap, promoting excellence in education and enhancing teacher quality.

Action Greensboro’s mission is to build a stronger local economy through creativity and innovation. It was formed in November 2001 by six foundations: Joseph M. Bryan Foundation, CEMALA Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation, TOLEO Foundation and Weaver Foundation.