NORTH CAROLINA – The North Carolina State Board of Education has released the state's graduation rate.

• Current graduation rate stands at 86.3 percent
• The previous rate was at 86.5 percent
• Superintendent Mark Johnson says numbers imply that schools have plateaued as a whole

Officials say it currently stands at 86.3 percent which is slightly down from the previous school year which was at 86.5 percent.

Fewer schools received an “F” rating from the state than last year. There were a few small increases and decreases in reading and math efficiencies as well.

North Carolina State Superintendent Mark Johnson says these numbers imply that schools have plateaued as a whole. He says it’s a reason to try and invest in alternative methods of education so North Carolina can break out and improve.

“Personalized learning and innovation, I’m very excited about it. You’ll see more steps this year from our department,” he said. “I do believe it is the future of education. I have seen it in action in our schools in North Carolina and it’s time we scale that across the state.”

The numbers are also broken down by geographical region. One thing that Johnson says needs improvement is performance in rural schools. In Wake County, the state’s largest school system, the graduation rates now stands at 89.1 percent.

Check the links below to see how schools in your area were graded:
NC School Report Cards
Analytic site for deep data