Summary:
The Sandhills Theatre Arts Renaiss district contains a single K-8 charter school, STARS Charter, in Vass, NC, with 885 students and a 15.6 student-teacher ratio. The district ranks 12th out of 246 North Carolina districts, earning a 5-star rating. The school beats the state on every reported subject: in 2025-26 its average proficiency is 84.6% in math, 79.7% in reading, and 79.9% in science, compared to state averages of 59.9%, 56.0%, and 68.2%. In 2024-25, the results were similarly strong in math, reading, and science.
The school's state ranking dipped from 80th (2024-25) to 153rd (2025-26) out of about 1,490 schools, but it remains above the 90th percentile. The strongest results appear in grades 6-8: 8th grade math is 90.1% proficient versus 53.0% statewide, an extraordinary 37-point advantage. Grade 4 math (91.3%), grade 3 math (90.7%), and 8th grade reading (86.8%) are the highest absolute scores. Across all reported tests in 2025-26, the school averaged about 82% proficiency compared to only 59% statewide. The school also performs well above average in science, with an 8th grade proficiency rate of 85.7%.
The recent rank decline appears tied to one fifth-grade cohort rather than a schoolwide drop: current 5th graders fell roughly 16-17 points from last year's 5th graders in math, reading, and science, even as 4th grade math improved by 21 points. Chronic absenteeism is just 14.2%, far below the state's 24.2%, indicating strong student engagement and regular attendance. The graduation rate figure of 33.3% should be disregarded because this is a K-8 school, not a high school. Overall, STARS Charter is a high-achieving school with excellent attendance and consistently strong results across every subject and grade level tested.
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