RALEIGH — The dramatic increase in North Carolina student Career and Technical Education credentialing gains was highlighted during the State Board of Education meeting held last Wednesday.
According to the Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Credential Data attainment report, students in the state earned 382,964 CTE credentials in 2024-2025 — a 17.8% increase over the previous record of 325,000 under former State Superintendent Catherine Truitt.
The report says CTE students have “earned and reported 2,992,831 credentials since the 2010-2011 academic year.”
Officials with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction said more than 550,000 students took CTE classes during 2024-25, with some of them taking more than one class. The biggest growth areas were seen in trade skills like construction, but health care, which had a rate of 79% last year, was also up from 23% the year before.
State Superintendent Mo Green lauded the achievement alongside staff and superintendents from other districts during a Feb. 4 press conference. He said the CTE credentialing was “part of our effort to be recognized as having best educational system by 2030.”
“The record amount of credentials represents real opportunities for our students,” said Green. “When a student earns an industry-recognized credential, they’re not just completing a course, they are gaining a competitive advantage in the job market and building a foundation for long-term career success.”
The other speakers included Trey Michael, senior director of the Office of Career and Technical Education; Nancy Cross, assistant director of CTE Reporting and Support Services; Stephen Gainey, superintendent of the Randolph County School System; Brad Breedlove, superintendent of Pender County Schools; and April Thompson, CTE director of Lexington City Schools.
Green and other speakers reiterated other CTE metrics included in a Department of Public Instruction press release, including that more than 98% of CTE students have graduated on time and statewide CTE attainment had increased 6.9% over the previous year.
The report also says more than 80% of graduates are “concentrators,” meaning they take two to three CTE courses in a career pathway.
In all, 70,182 credentials were earned by the state’s CTE students, with Wake County Public Schools earning the most at more than 32,600 and the state’s Northwest Region having the highest attainment rate at 73%.
Other districts with top attainment rates included Transylvania County Schools (89%), Pender County Schools (88%) and Mitchell County Schools (87%).
Credentials have three tiers tied to “academic rigor, employment value and industry demand,” with Tier 3 being the most advanced skills sought by employers like welding, health care and sciences.
Gainey remarked that relationships with students, staff and business industry partners in Randolph County were key to the CTE program’s success, as is students “dreaming about what they can do.” He also stressed the importance of internships and apprenticeship programs active in Randolph County.
Breedlove underscored the need to have “vision for where we want public education in this state to go” and noted Pender County Schools was in the top 10 in both attainment rate and number of credentials last year while finishing second this year for attainment.
“Out of 8,400, our kids earned 7,400 of them,” Breedlove said of Pender student credential earning.
Thompson said Lexington City Schools had a more than 300% increase in attainment last year, and the district was expanding opportunities with community college and internship programs.
Green closed out the press conference by saying each credential represent a student, and, “Our goal is to reach 500,000 credentials earned annually by 2030.”
