The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI) recently released its 2022-2023 CTE Credential Attainment Report. One stunning achievement is that more than 325,000 credentials were earned by career and technical education (CTE) high school students in the 2022-23 academic year, the highest attainment rate in the 13 years that NC DPI and the Office of Career and Technical Education (NC CTE) have been collecting this data.
The credentials offered include 70 of the approximately 160 credentials designated as NC Workforce Credentials (NCWFC), which are “priority non-degree credentials that are valued by employers and put those who earn them on a path to a sustainable wage career.” (Check out our localized database to find out where students and workers of all ages can earn NC Workforce Credentials in our region.)
In the 2022-2023 school year, North Carolina public schools offered 333 different credentials to students in the following categories:
- Agricultural Education
- Business, Finance, and Marketing Education
- Career Development Education
- Computer Science and Information Technology Education
- Family and Consumer Sciences Education
- Health Science Education
- Trade, Technology, Engineering, and Industrial Education
We combed through this report to find out how the five school systems in our region were doing. Here’s what we found…
Credential Attainment Rates by School System
| School System | Earned | Potential | CredAttRate |
| Asheville City Schools | 252 | 1,301 | 19.4% |
| Buncombe County Schools | 1,282 | 7,257 | 17.7% |
| Henderson County Public Schools | 2,105 | 7,849 | 26.8% |
| Madison County Schools | 586 | 1,730 | 33.9% |
| Transylvania County Schools | 1,884 | 2,814 | 67.0% |
Total # of Credentials Earned in the Land of Sky Region
Transylvania County Schools Had the 6th Highest Credential Attainment in the State
%
6th highest credential attainment rate in the state
Transylvania County Schools’ students attained 1,884 credentials out of 2,814 potential credentials* for the 2022-2023 school year, for a 67% attainment rate. This figure represents huge growth over the last two years in which their credential attainment rates had been 48% (2021-2022) and 38% (2020-2021), respectively. Way to go, Transylvania County Schools!
Highest Credential Attainment in the State by Credential
Buncombe County Schools, Madison County Schools, and Transylvania County Schools each had the highest credential attainment in the state for at least one credential (Madison was highest for two!).
WCA Sawblade Certificate
Architecture and Construction career cluster
38% (120) of the 315 credentials awarded in the state were earned by students at Buncombe County Schools
NIMS Job Planning, Benchmark, and Layout
Manufacturing career cluster
33% (11) of the 33 credentials awarded in the state were earned by students at Madison County Schools
NIMS Machining Level 1 – Measurement, Materials, and Safety Certification
Manufacturing career cluster
25% (30) of the 118 credentials awarded in the state were earned by students at Madison County Schools
Certified Fundamentals Cook (CFC)
Hospitality and Tourism career cluster
100% (17) of the 17 credentials awarded in the state were earned by students at Transylvania County Schools
*For the purposes of this report, DPI defines potential credentials as “the total number of credentials available to students.” It is important to note that increases in credential attainment year over year have coincided with significant increases in funding from the NC General Assembly (NCGA), as shown in the chart to the right.
Credential Funding Provided by the North Carolina General Assembly
- 2020-2021 School Year 10%
- 2021-2022 School Year 43%
- 2022-2023 School Year 98%
% of the amount needed in each school year to offer all students the oppportunity to earn credentials
Read the full report here.
