MCS Takes Top Honors in NC

Innovation Award Celebrates District’s Bold Progress in Education and Investment in Economic Growth

The North Carolina School Boards Association awarded Martin County Schools the Innovation and Excellence in Public Education Award for our Career and Technical Education Pathway Program. Martin County Schools was notified before the conference that the district was selected as one of three finalists for the award, along with Pitt and Wilson. In the end, Martin County Schools took the top honors in the state.

The award is designed to acknowledge how Boards of Education across the state have creatively found solutions to problems or challenges facing their district.

Martin County, like many rural communities, has long battled workforce shortages in healthcare, skilled trades, IT, and advanced manufacturing. These gaps slowed economic growth, left positions unfilled, and challenged community stability. At the same time, our district faced declining enrollment and limited opportunities beyond the classroom. Being a Title I, high-poverty district where many students struggled to envision a future only compounded the dilemma.

In response, Martin County Schools launched an innovative Career and Technical Education (CTE) Pathway Program and, two years ago, established the Martin County Early College with a strong emphasis on CTE-driven associate degrees. Martin County Schools and Martin Community College partner to offer high school students 66 degree options, including 30 associate's degree options.

“Since the implementation of this program, our graduation rate has increased by 14%,” explained Dr. Michelle White, Superintendent of Martin County Schools. “Dual enrollment (MCS and Martin Community College) has increased more than 300% and we have the highest student achievement in a decade.”

Dr. White sees this initiative as a two-fold win. When our students win, our community wins.

“These initiatives were designed to transform lives—connecting students to career opportunities while still in high school, retaining local talent, and opening doors to higher education, the military, or the workforce.”

Key components of the program are:
Career Pathways & Workforce Alignment – Students participate in hands-on training, internships, job shadowing, and earn industry-recognized credentials tied directly to regional workforce needs. Students are offered 37 industry-recognized credential options, with our students earning 105 industry-recognized credentials in the 2024-25 school year. Pathways are shaped through collaboration with the Martin County Economic Development Commission and the Martin Business Advisory Council, ensuring graduates are immediately employable.

Higher Education Partnership – Through collaboration with Martin Community College, more than 200 students enrolled in dual-credit courses in 2024–2025, earning transferable credits and technical certifications that provide a head start on college and careers.

Early College Expansion – In just two years, Martin County Early College has grown to 140+ students. Before the program, only three students in the previous year had graduated with a two-year degree. This year, 23 students will do so—an 83% increase. By 2027, 45 are projected to graduate with both a diploma and an associate degree or certificate, redefining what’s possible in our district.

Career and College Fair – The 4th annual event in March 2025 connected 700+ students with 50+ employers, military, and college partners. Employer participation has grown 30% and student credentialing 20% over the past two years.

Business & Industry Partnerships – Local employers mentor students, host interns, and provide direct feedback, ensuring instruction reflects real workforce expectations.

“We have raised achievement, improved graduation rates, and provided students with unprecedented opportunities—all while strengthening the local workforce,” said White.”

“Most importantly, we have changed the story for our students and families. A community struggling with poverty and limited opportunity now sees doors opening and futures being written. Our students walk with pride, our families see hope, and our schools stand as proof that when a district dares to dream big for its children, extraordinary things can happen. Martin County is no longer asking if our students can succeed—we are watching them prove, every single day, that they already are.”

This award illustrates the daily way of thinking adopted by Martin County Schools in recent years. “If” is no longer an option when it comes to student achievement. How to make it happen is the only acceptable outcome.
“Our district, as a team, is no longer asking if our students can succeed - we are watching them prove, every single day, that they already are,” said White. “And there is so much more to come.”

This is the second innovation and excellence award won by Martin County Schools this year, as it also received the 2025 Civic Excellence in Innovation Award at the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners state conference in August.

Award

South Creek Elementary School