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North Carolina NC Math 1: what a high-school score means

On North Carolina's end-of-course (EOC) tests, NC Math 1 is reported on a scale from 518 to 588 (2019 and 2021 to 2026), and each score falls into one of 4 performance levels. Reaching Level 3 (Proficient), at 548 or above, is the state's proficiency line.

The score ranges changed during these years, so each period has its own table below, newest first.

NC Math 1NC Math 3English IIBiology

Score ranges by performance level

2019 and 2021 to 2026

From 2019, NC Math 1 has a new score scale (518 to 588), so a score from before 2019 is not directly comparable to one from 2019 on. Percentiles are, because each year is compared with its own students.

LevelScore rangeWhat it meansStatewide 2026
Not Proficient518–547Below the state standard58%
Level 3 (Proficient)548–554Meeting the state standard (the proficiency line)24%
Level 4555–562Above the state standard15%
Level 5563–588The highest level, above the state standard3%

2018

LevelScore rangeWhat it means
Not Proficient200–249Below the state standard
Level 3 (Proficient)250–252Meeting the state standard (the proficiency line)
Level 4253–263Above the state standard
Level 5264–299The highest level, above the state standard

How North Carolina students scored (2026)

58%24%15%

Statewide in 2026, about 42% of the students counted for NC Math 1 reached Level 3 (Proficient) or higher. The bar above shows the share at each level (left = lowest).

Who takes this test

Each test counts the students at a school who took that end-of-course test during the school year, including the summer school session just before it. NC Math 1 and NC Math 3 count high school students only: students who take NC Math 1 in grade 8 or earlier are counted in grade 8 math in the grades 3-8 section, not here. The one exception is 2018, when the NC Math 1 counts also include the NC Math 1 scores that 9th graders had earned in middle school. Students who take the NCEXTEND1 alternate test are not included.

More on who is counted, and how: see how we count.

Is a particular score good?

A score's meaning depends on where it lands in the ranges above, and on how it compares to other students who took the same test. Our free tool turns an NC Math 1 score into an estimated percentile versus the school, district and the whole state, so you can see where a score stands, not just its level.

Look up an NC Math 1 percentile →

Other North Carolina high-school tests

NC Math 1NC Math 3English IIBiology
NC Math 3 →
State Test Scores is an independent tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by any state education department or agency. Score ranges are the state's own published cut scores; percentiles are statistical estimates from public performance-level data published by NC DPI (EOC), not official rankings.
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