The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in English language arts. The lowest is 20% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Craven Virtual Academy
Craven Virtual Academy is a full-time online school serving fourth through twelfth grade in the Craven County Schools district, drawing about one hundred thirty-four students from across the county. The school is housed at a commercial office address in New Bern but operates as a fully remote program where students complete coursework from home.
The student body is roughly half white, a quarter black, and the remaining quarter split among Hispanic, multiracial, and Asian students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating economic strain in the families served. The school draws from a range of grade levels, with heavier enrollment in middle school and ninth grade, and smaller numbers in the upper elementary and high school bands. Special-population data such as English learner counts and special education enrollment were not available.
The 2024-25 proficiency results on North Carolina's End-of-Grade tests show uneven performance. On English language arts, roughly half of tested fourth-through-eighth-grade students met proficiency. Science proficiency was lower, near forty percent. Mathematics proficiency was notably weak, with one in five students meeting the standard. These results rest on small sample sizes, as the number of students tested across grades was about fifty in reading and math, and about half that for science. The variation across subjects and the small cohorts tested suggest that performance is volatile and difficult to trend. A parent may want to look into further with the school what academic supports are in place for struggling learners and how much direct instruction versus self-paced online content the curriculum relies on, as virtual programs vary widely in those respects.
A graduation rate was not provided, so the school's success in bringing high school students to completion is unknown. Whether that reflects missing data or whether the school is too small or young to report a stable four-year cohort rate is not stated in the available information.
New Bern itself is a compact historic coastal city on the Neuse and Trent Rivers, about an hour or so southeast of Raleigh. The downtown core around Tryon Palace and the riverfront is walkable and mixed-use, while suburban neighborhoods like Carolina Colours and West New Bern spread across the town's periphery along arterials like US-70. Growth is accelerating toward the US-70 corridor and the planned Interstate-42 alignment, with new single-family home construction and land development underway in West New Bern. The area's largest employer is Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and its Fleet Readiness Center, a major civilian and military operation in nearby Havelock; Craven County Schools itself is a substantial local employer, and CarolinaEast Medical Center, BSH Home Appliances, and Moen also anchor the job base. Housing values sit moderately below the state average, with ownership and rental costs that allow more families to afford entry without extreme cost burden, though home prices have risen modestly year over year. Public transit within the county is provided by CARTS, a demand-response and fixed-route system that requires advance booking for some trips.
The Craven County Board of Education declined to pursue a major countywide redistricting in October 2024 that would have closed or repurposed schools and reassigned hundreds of students, instead preserving existing attendance zones and school assignments. This stability is relevant for families whose school choice decisions rest on long-term enrollment patterns. The district also received state funding for a significant middle-school expansion at Tucker Creek in Havelock, addressing capacity in the eastern part of the county. In recent policy, the board has implemented the state's 2023 Parents' Bill of Rights law, affecting parental notification, curriculum access, and notification of services related to gender or sexuality. Board members are now elected on a partisan basis from single-member districts rather than at-large, a governance structure shift.
For families considering Craven Virtual Academy, the core question is whether the school's online model, small cohorts, and current proficiency levels align with their child's learning needs and family circumstances. Some families choose virtual schools for schedule flexibility, health concerns, or a mismatch with traditional school settings; others need the accountability and structure of in-person instruction. The test data here suggests the school is serving a population that includes significant academic need and that the virtual format or instructional model is not yet producing strong results across the board, particularly in math. Exploring the school's specific curriculum, instructional model, and student support systems before enrollment is worthwhile.
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